Natural Satellites & Shooting Stars
by GemmaH
Summary: It's Post-Breaking Dawn, Renesmee has reached maturity and is living with Jacob. When a threat to their relationship arrives that neither of them has anticipated, will it interfere with the inevitability that they thought their bond held?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at writing, but who could fail to be inspired by Twilight?! Huge thanks go to my friends Nikki and Dani for reading through my draft chapters and encouraging me to carry on. Also the fab peeps at Project Team Beta for taking the time to look through my writing for me and not making it too painful (so far!). Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :o) x**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 1**

My eyes opened quickly as I was snapped rudely out of my dreams by the front door latch clicking into place. Without moving any other part of my body, I turned my head to the right to check the space where he should have been. Empty. _Not again_, I groaned inwardly. This was getting beyond ridiculous.

I sighed as I closed my eyes and moved my head back, shaking it in exasperation. I flipped over onto my side and pulled the comforter up to my chin, lying motionless, listening to the deafening silence inside the house.

As I lay there a feeling of restlessness began to build in me, starting low down in my legs. _No,_ I told myself firmly, _I'm not letting his paranoia affect me yet again_. I tried desperately to fight the tightening in my muscles as it built up, forcing myself to take deep breaths to try and relax. I'd known deep down though that I wouldn't be able to fight it for long; just as it built to a level that felt like my legs might jerk to life of their own accord and my stomach would burst from my body, I gave in, throwing the covers back, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and sitting up, all in one fluid movement.

I sighed again and a quiet moan of exasperation left my lips as I stood up, pushing my feet into my flip flops and appraising my robe momentarily before deciding it was too warm for it. Making my way around the bed to where the door stood slightly ajar, I pulled it open and crossed the hallway. I glanced quickly towards the front door, unsure of what I was expecting to see there and moved into the room that played host to the kitchen and small living area. My irritation increased as I tripped over one of his huge running shoes, left sprawled across the carpet with its partner. I cursed loudly as I just managed to save myself from falling. Reaching the window where the early dawn light was just creeping in at the gaps, I pulled the drapes back sharply.

My heart sounded a violent thud inside my chest and then stopped as I took in the scene before me. My whole body was frozen, aside from my eyes which grew increasingly wider the longer I stared. Finally the shock wore off, releasing my muscles simultaneously. I spun around and tore towards the front door, desperate to reach him as quickly as possible.

********

"Jake! What..? I mean, who…?" I paused, gasping for breath before spitting out "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" I stood panting, the adrenaline coursing through my body. The huge russet coloured wolf looked up, surprise showing in his dark eyes at seeing me there, his teeth still bared in the snarl that he had been directing downwards only moments before. As soon as he was distracted, the small, dark-haired female that he was standing over shuffled backwards quickly and, climbing swiftly to her feet, darted quickly towards the forest, disappearing into the trees. The wolf's eyes narrowed as he swung his head round. He immediately realised what had happened and made to move after the woman. I sprang forward and grabbed two large handfuls of the shaggy fur on his neck, drawing him to a halt. "NO!" I yelled forcefully. "Jake, that's enough! You need to tell me what's going on, right now!"

I felt his shoulders stiffen and he stopped trying to pull away from me. I released my grip on his fur and stood back as the wolf before me phased back into his human form. His face was burning with anger as he looked down at me.

"I can't believe you just did that Nessie! I had her! I could have stopped this from going any further." I frowned and took a step back, unsure exactly of what Jacob was talking about.

"Stopped what Jake?" My voice was softer now, the confusion taking over from the anger inside me. "Who was she exactly? And what were you doing out here with her?"

The anger appeared to subside in Jake too and he looked down and off to the side as he sighed deeply.

"Ok Ness, you win. I'll tell you what this has all been about; this just now and why I've been so…" his mouth twisted upwards on one side as he sought the right word for the odd behaviour he'd been displaying recently "…preoccupied for the past couple of weeks." He half smiled as he glanced down at himself, standing utterly and magnificently naked in the early morning light, the pale sunlight making his beautiful bronze skin glow an even richer orange where it touched him and casting shadows where his beautifully defined muscles stood out from his chest and stomach. "Mind if I put some clothes on first though? It's kind of hard to stay serious when you're looking at me like that," he teased.

"Come on." I stepped forward smiling slightly and threaded my arm through his. "You're absolutely right, this sounds like it could be too serious for distractions," and sighing again I led him back towards the door and into the house.

****** **

Five minutes later we were sitting facing each other over the kitchen counter, Jake having covered himself up with an old t-shirt and a pair of his usual sweatpants. I looked at him expectantly and waited for his explanation, impatience causing my foot to jiggle up and down where it was resting on the bar of the stool I sat on. He sucked his bottom lip under his top one as he mentally deliberated on how to start. Finally he expelled a decisive breath through his nose as he nodded to himself and looked up to meet my gaze.

"Okay, so I know you've been thinking that I've been a little paranoid lately," he began tentatively. I snorted despite the resolve I'd set myself to stay quiet and just listen.

A little paranoid was a more than slight understatement for Jacob's recent behaviour. I'd lost count of the nights that I'd woken up in the darkness and rolled over to him, only to find his side of the bed empty and only warm, the intense heat of his body having faded with the time he'd spent away from our bed and from me. On those nights it was usual for me to get up myself and wander out of the bedroom to look for him, often finding him standing in the darkness with his hands resting on the window ledge, staring out into the intense black beyond the window pane, or sitting on the front step, head cocked to one side listening intently for anything out of the ordinary above the usual forest sounds. He would press his lips together in an attempt at a smile and urge me to go back to bed, promising to follow shortly. He'd never let anything slip about what he was on the lookout for and he downplayed any of my direct questions, always just claiming that he was unable to sleep. I knew him too well to know that he was feeling nothing less than threatened by something or somebody out there.

"This is more than just paranoia Nessie, this has come from your Aunt Alice," he continued as I rolled my eyes. With Aunt Alice's ability to see the future and my Dad's 'talent' for reading minds there wasn't a lot that a girl could get away with. Jacob saw my gesture and the anger flashed in him again. "Nessie, I'm serious!" he snapped, leaning forward in his seat. He knew exactly how I felt about Alice's visions. "I'm not talking about some threat to ruin your fun here; this is a threat to us, to me and you and what we have." He sat back again, apparently satisfied now by the look of shock on my face. "We always knew it would probably happen sometime Ness, you're the only one that he's not related to. He's coming back and he wants you. He wants to take you away from me." There was nothing in Jake to show that this was an option that he even considered. There was no sign of weakness or defeat and certainly nothing to show that he was willing to let it happen. He sat across from me, straight and tall now on his stool, his t-shirt pulled tight across his tensed muscles, his eyes narrowed with determination and his jaw set defiantly. Jake reached across the counter and took my hands in both of his before looking deep into my eyes with his own dark ones. "I'm not letting that happen Renesmee, you belong here, with me."

I knew without even having to think about it that Jake was right. Our lives had been inextricably bound together ever since my birth and being with him felt natural. Both of us felt the pull back to one another when we were apart and we each disliked it as much as the other did. As he continued to look at me I melted; those eyes always had that effect on me when he turned them on me in this way. I swallowed once then tried to speak, my voice only managing a hoarse whisper as we both leaned over for our lips to meet.

"I'm not going anywhere Jake, you don't have to worry about me." We kissed each other softly and as always Jake's kiss made everything right. After a moment he pulled away slowly and rose to his feet.

"I should call Edward."

"Wait!" I caught his arm as he turned. "You still haven't told me who the girl was." I gestured with my head in the direction of the earlier altercation. Jake turned back around slowly to look at me again.

"Well if Alice was right on what to expect from her vision of his aunt, then I'm guessing that she was one of Nahuel's sisters."

Confusion flooded me once again. "One of his sisters? I don't get it." I was frowning now as I struggled to recall information about the only other group of half vampire - half humans that I knew of other than myself.

Jacob shrugged, equally as mystified. "Like I said, I'm calling your Dad, he should know about this." He turned once again and walked away to make the call.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is my first attempt at writing, but who could fail to be inspired by Twilight?! Huge thanks go to my friends Nikki and Dani for reading through my draft chapters and encouraging me to carry on. Also the fab peeps at Project Team Beta for taking the time to look through my writing for me and not making it too painful (so far!). Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :o) x**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 2**

**Nahuel PoV**

I looked over at her and then quickly away, ashamed at myself for putting her in danger this way. I looked up again, watching as she winced as Yaima dabbed carefully at a cut above her right eye while Lican looked on in silence.

"I'm so sorry Malen. If I'd realised at all I'd never have…," I trailed off, the apology sounding inadequate even to my own ears after what had nearly happened. If Renesmee hadn't come outside when she did, the possible consequences didn't bear thinking about.

My sister turned to face me, her dark ponytail swinging gently as she did so. The bruises were already forming, one on her left cheek and another at the site of the cut. She spoke steadily as she looked me in the eye, "Yes, but you did. Is she really worth everything that you are sacrificing?" I sighed deeply and bowed my head. "We supported you Nahuel, even when Huilen couldn't stand by and watch this obsession build any longer, but we never agreed to risk our safety while you indulged yourself in this fascination that you've got with the girl. You have to change the way that you're acting on this fixation, otherwise Yaima, Lican and I are leaving. This cannot continue." Yaima and Lican remained silent, but I could see the challenge in their eyes that showed they agreed with every word our sister had said.

The thought of them all leaving me was not one that I welcomed, but everything in my existence had already changed so much because of Renesmee. She had been the main focus of my thoughts during the past seven years, ever since the day that Alice, Jasper and Kachiri found Huilen and me as we hunted in the forests of our homeland. The Cullens were understandably grateful for our help the day that they faced the Volturi. We all knew without a shadow of a doubt what would have happened if Alice had been unable to find Huilen and me. This strange organization, of which I had been completely unaware up to that point, would have destroyed the Cullen family and all of their witnesses. It was a testament to the well respected nature of Carlisle and his family that so many stood by their sides, willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure that the Volturi listened to the truth about Renesmee.

Renesmee. In the beginning it had all been about Bella, the very fact that she had survived the birth was some sort of miracle and all thanks to Edward. The way he looked at Bella with such devotion and his obvious love for his daughter made me ache for what my father had never been willing to give my mother or me. All of these years I'd been convinced that it was my fault entirely, yet within minutes of spending time with this loving family I'd realised that I'd had it all wrong. Things could have been different; Joham was the evil one, not me.

Not that this was a problem any longer. As promised, the Volturi had headed south when they left the Cullens. They had found Joham quickly and put a definite end to his experiments, satisfied that my sisters were innocent and posed no threat. After making them watch the demise of their creator as a warning, they had let them go free. They found Huilen and me soon after. Grieving for the only kind of father they had ever known, and now at a loss without someone to look up to, they asked if they could join us. Huilen's compassion came to the fore and she welcomed them in. During the years that had followed, they came to accept the alternative view of humans that Huilen and I embraced. Stories from my aunt about the people she had lived amongst and loved, and finally the story of the Cullens, particularly Edward, Bella and Renesmee, had worked to allow them an alternative vision of the world that they had never before been aware of.

Yaima finished cleaning Malen's face and bent to pick up the bowl of water and soiled cotton wool from the table. Straightening, she stalked quickly from the room without looking back at me. Malen followed behind her, leaving only Lican in my company. I usually enjoyed Lican's company the most of my three sisters. She was the youngest of the four of us, only twenty five years old to my one hundred and fifty eight. The fact that she had been so young when she came to live with Huilen and I and had now spent nearly one third of her life with me meant that she had adapted far more easily to our beliefs and lifestyle than our two sisters had. For this reason, the disapproving look in her eyes cut into me much deeper than that shown by Yaima and Malen.

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, bending my head down and resting my face in my hands. I stayed like that for a moment, not wishing to see Lican's displeasure as she gazed at me. Slowly, with my chin still cupped in my hands, I wiped my fingers across my brow and then down, raising my head so my fingertips covered my mouth. My eyes moved slowly to meet Lican's and she quietly regarded me. I closed my eyes briefly and a deep sigh escaped from my lips. My mouth opened to speak but Lican interrupted me, her soft voice instantly calming the turmoil raging inside me at the way events were unfolding.

"Nahuel, you are determined to pursue your goal, I know you too well to think otherwise. You can't continue on _this_ path to pursue it though, somebody's going to end up badly hurt, or worse. All of this sneaking about, it's not right and above all it's not fair on the girl. How do you think she will feel about you if she finds out? This is not right." She shook her head firmly and continued to look at me, her brown eyes wide. "The Cullens, they are good. If you want to do this with our support, it's time to start doing things properly. You get to know the girl and her family and you let her make her own decisions."

I knew that she was right. Aside from anything else, the wolf was an additional complication that I hadn't known about. Huilen and I had remained in periodical contact with Carlisle after our first meeting with the family, but news was rarely more detailed than letting each other know how everybody was. We knew after the confrontation with the Volturi that the family were good friends with the pack of large werewolves that lived on the nearby reservation at La Push, but at no point had Carlisle mentioned that the relationship went any further than friendship for Renesmee. Jacob had known Renesmee all of her life and was obviously close to her as a child when I had last observed them together. I frowned as I wondered at what point the relationship had changed and, most mystifying, how her family accepted the relationship to the extent that they'd let them _live _together.

I stood up confidently, Lican's eyes following me as I rose. She looked at me inquiringly as I set off toward the door, then called out my name in a question. I looked back at her over my shoulder as my hand touched the door handle.

"I'm going to see the Cullens," I stated, turning back as I pulled the door open and left the rented apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

**I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who have read my story already, thanks for taking the time and feel free to review. (I now understand the requests for reviews that author always put, they definitely encourage the creative juices to flow!). **

**I have several chapters ahead written already, so please bear with me in getting them posted here. It's important to me to have a beta look over them for me to make the story the best I can for all of you.**

**As before huge thanks go to my friends Nikki and Dani for reading through my draft chapters, encouraging me to carry on and also for humouring me while I bounce a LOT of ideas off them ;o). Also the fab peeps at Project Team Beta for taking the time to look through my writing for me and not making it too painful (so far!). Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :o) x**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 3**

**Renesmee PoV**

"I swear Carlisle, she was right there, trying to look in through the window!" You could see the adrenaline beginning to pump through Jacob's body again as he recounted the tale of the morning's events to my family. He'd been stalking up and down the room in front of us ever since we'd arrived at my grandparents' house ten minutes earlier.

As Jake pressed the button to end the call to my father on his phone, he looked up at me impatiently. "Nessie, go get dressed, we need to go." I was so concerned by the serious note to his voice that, for once, I agreed without an argument and headed back across the hall to get ready.

Now I sat on my grandparents' large, soft sofa, leaning back casually, as an earnest discussion of recent events went on around me. It had apparently now been decided that I could be present while they discussed the big secret. My family had a nasty habit of treating me as a child and trying to shelter me. I could, in part, understand this; despite my physical appearance and mental abilities being the same as that of a young adult, the fact remained that I had only been born eight years previously. This caused my family certain psychological conflicts, not least when it had come to my changing relationship with Jake. It was as annoying as hell to me though.

I started to fidget as my annoyance grew. Everyone was still dissecting what had happened with Jake this morning, but as of yet, not one of them had even bothered to discuss with me exactly what was going on. The only information I had so far was what Jake had told me earlier, and by the charge in the air, I was starting to think his explanation fell way short of accounting for the whole situation. Gradually my annoyance began to turn to anger until, finally, an aggressive growl escaped my lips. The room fell silent and every pair of eyes turned to focus on me.

"Renesmee? Are you ok?" My mother crossed the room quickly, yet smoothly, from where she'd been standing during the discussions. She sank down onto the sofa next to me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. The anger quickly faded at her touch, but my feelings of frustration remained; as much as I tried to fight them back, tears quickly welled up in my eyes and escaped in tentative streams down my cheeks. It all came out then; all of the emotion I'd been bottling up for weeks since Jake started acting so strangely that I knew something was wrong, everything that had been bubbling away since this morning, when I discovered Jacob the wolf snarling above the small dark-haired girl who I'd never even seen before. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strange wail. My mom pulled me to her and I didn't resist, nestling against her familiar cool, hard body as she made soothing sounds and stroked my hair.

As soon as my tears began, Jacob had flown across the room to my other side. He could never bear to see me upset and my grief would echo in his own face whenever anything bothered me. The connection that we shared was strong and as soon as he was beside me, I would feel better just for having him close. Today though, something was different. Whether it was because the cause of my upset involved him, or if it was because our relationship was facing some kind of unknown threat, I couldn't be sure. For some reason though, having him so close at this moment was having the opposite effect that it should and this in turn made the tears flow even more freely. If there had been one constant that I could rely on all through my life it had been Jake and the comfort he brought me. Of course my family were totally dependable, their love for me, as for each other, completely unconditional just as it should be within families. Jacob brought something else altogether to my life. I'm not sure if it was something that I could even describe, it was so fundamental to my existence. To find now, in this moment so charged with emotions, that something had changed; that his arm around my shoulders wasn't the cure-all that it usually was, completely threw me. I didn't fight it though; I let it all wash through me until finally I felt empty. I sat, my face still buried in my mom's shoulder as gradually the tears stopped coming and my jagged breaths slowed.

I raised my head and peered out through swollen eyes. I noticed that everyone had tactfully left the room, leaving me alone with my mom and Jacob. Both had their eyes fixed on me, full of concern and questions. I lacked even the basic energy needed to speak and just shrugged before resting my head back on my mom's shoulder. After a moment I managed to find my voice, croaky though it was, "I need to know." I paused, swallowing before continuing. "Please tell me what's going on." I raised my head once again and looked into Jacob's worried eyes. "Please," my final plea coming out as a whisper. I raised my hand and placed it on his cheek, using my gift to show him all my memories of the events that had been causing me to worry for the past few weeks. I showed him scenes right up to today, stopping short of letting him see my confusion when his presence had no effect on me only fifteen minutes earlier.

Jake's beautiful face was filled with anguish as he watched, guilt in his eyes as he realised what he'd been putting me through by trying to protect me.

"Bella, you were right." I moved my hand from his cheek and he turned his eyes to my mom. "We should have told her right away."

"Jake," her voice was soft. "It's not that long since I was like Nessie, remember? Look at the mess it caused when Edward went and left me, rather than talking to me about how he felt and what was going on." They shared a meaningful look that lasted more than just a moment and I could tell that both were remembering that time. Of course I knew my parents' history together and I also knew that Jacob featured in it too; I did sometimes wonder though, at moments like this, whether there was more to the whole story than I had been told. I shook my head to clear it; this wasn't the time to be adding to my uncertainties.

I sat up and my mom turned slightly to face me as she took both of my hands in hers. I looked at her face, beautiful and preserved forever as her eighteen year old self. "Nessie, you remember Nahuel from the time the Volturi came?" I shuddered involuntarily as I remembered that day. I was already mature enough to realise the severity of the danger that we were all in and sense the anxiety that everybody around me was feeling. I pushed the scene out of my mind, choosing instead to focus on an image of the dark-skinned young man, as everybody celebrated after the Volturi's retreat. He had been incredibly subdued whilst the melee continued around him. Eventually all of our friends drifted away leaving just him and his aunt, Huilen, behind with my family. I didn't see him again after that, as I'd fallen asleep. By the time I awoke the next morning, they had headed south again, returning home. I had heard nothing of note of him since then, although I was aware that Carlisle had stayed in touch with the half-vampire and his vampire aunt.

"Yes," I replied. I already knew that this was about Nahuel, Jacob had told me that much.

"We knew when he met you here as a child, that he must have been aware that you were the only female of his kind that he knew of, other than his sisters. You were only a little girl, but he knew himself how quickly you would grow, just as he had. Your Dad and I had guessed that at some point there was a strong possibility that he would come looking for you, Nessie. Apparently, until Alice warned us that Nahuel was about to do what we had long suspected, the idea had never occurred to Jake." She smiled and threw an affectionate look over at my boyfriend who rolled his eyes and managed a half smile. I smiled in spite of myself, the familiar feelings for Jake returning and my own peace rising as I saw him looking a little happier.

"So what did Alice see exactly?" I was confused, knowing that Alice was unable to see half-immortals such as myself, Nahuel and his sisters.

"She could see enough of your Dad and me to hazard a guess at what the problem was. When she then concentrated on seeing Huilen, she was able to see her, proving that she was now alone. She'd sensed Nahuel's fascination with our family when they came to help us. Apparently he'd never settled the same after they returned home. When he'd decided to come back here, his aunt was more than a little upset. Huilen had always done her best for him and she was hurt at the way he developed this…" she paused searching for a word that fit "…obsession, firstly with our family, then, as the time grew closer to when he knew you'd be reaching maturity, with you."

I heard a low snarl to my left and looked up to see that the smile had definitely left Jake's face. His brow was furrowed and he sat tensed. I reached out my hand and placed it on his shoulder; it had the desired effect and he returned to the present, relaxing slightly. I turned back to my Mom. "Alice could see all of this?" She shook her head.

"No, she only saw Huilen on her own, but as soon as Nahuel left with his sisters, Huilen got in touch and warned Carlisle."

"And then everybody else found out, except me," I stated flatly. She squeezed my hands gently.

"Honey, we had no idea it would get this far, we thought we'd be able to solve this whole problem before you even had to know about it."

I looked her straight in the eye. "Did it even occur to anybody that I might have liked to get to know Nahuel as a friend? That maybe I _wanted_ to meet somebody that was the same as me?" I could feel both pairs of eyes looking at me intensely, until the doorbell rang, breaking the tension


	4. Chapter 4

**As before huge thanks go to my friends Nikki and Dani for reading through my draft chapters, encouraging me to carry on and also for humouring me while I bounce a LOT of ideas off them ;o). Also the fab peeps at Project Team Beta for taking the time to look through my writing for me and not making it too painful (so far!). Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :o) x**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 4**

**Nahuel POV**

I heard the doorbell ring somewhere inside the house as I pressed the button then stood and waited. My mind was whirling at one hundred miles an hour and changing every split second about whether to just turn and run away instead. Before I could act on any of these thoughts though, the door suddenly swung open and I stood face to face with Carlisle. He regarded me, his lips held in a tight smile and I could tell that he wasn't surprised in any way to see me. With every second that passed now that I was actually here, I was increasingly convinced that I'd made a terrible mistake by coming to the house.

"Nahuel," Carlisle spoke first, being the most composed of the two of us, and offered me his hand to shake. "It's good to see you again." He briefly smiled more easily, before his eyes became serious. "You're a long way from home, I take it you didn't just happen to be passing?" I finished shaking his hand and, looking him in the eye shook my head nearly imperceptibly from side to side. As I looked at him I knew that, somehow, he knew why I was here. Then, almost as if to confirm it, he spoke again. "Huilen mentioned that we could probably expect to see you."

Huilen, of course. I shouldn't have been surprised that she'd warned them, she'd disagreed so strongly with me coming here. I felt guilty about the way things had turned out with my aunt, she had literally given her life for me when I ended my mother's. She'd raised me and cared for me, taught me about my mother and about a different life that I would never have known about without her.

My interest in the Cullens had grown at an unprecedented rate since I'd met them the first time; it seemed to me though that it was beyond my control. I did my best to curb it but it crept into every corner of my brain and the most seemingly unrelated things would remind me of them. Without my even realising it, my thoughts turned from just the Cullens in general to Renesmee in particular. In the back of my mind, I was aware all the time of what stage Renesemee would be at in her growth. This awareness built, then finally, at the time I knew she'd be fully mature, I was struggling to lead my normal lifestyle because of this preoccupation.

Huilen had noticed I was troubled and had confronted me about it. I was struggling so much with my emotions that everything came pouring from my mouth before I even had a chance to edit it to spare her feelings. She wasn't hurt, she was devastated, viewing my obsession with the Cullens as a family, as a rebuff to her. We talked things through and eventually she forgave me, although I was aware that she would never be able to forget what had happened, or allow the wounds it had caused to completely heal. She encouraged me make an effort and try to forget my obsession, for she was convinced that nothing but trouble could come of it.

I promised her I would and I did try for a while to forget, to try and undo the damage that I'd caused to my relationship with my aunt, but as time went on it all started to invade my head again, the constant thoughts and speculation. I tried to discuss it again with Huilen, to try and get her to see my point of view; that I needed to see the Cullens and meet Renesmee again. I could see it as the only way to get over this obsession that was eating away at me. We couldn't agree at all and in the end I could stand it no longer. I gathered my sisters, told them where I was going and managed to persuade them to accompany me north.

And now, here I stood on Carlisle and Esme's doorstep, so close and completely unsure of what lay ahead. I suddenly felt embarrassed for causing the scene between Malen and the wolf this morning and felt compelled to try and put everything right. My sisters had been right, this was the best path to take and I should have done so from the beginning instead of trying to spy on these people. I looked down at the ground, suddenly too self-conscious to meet Carlisle's gaze. I examined my shoe closely as I scuffed the toe against the wood of the porch beneath my feet.

"Carlisle, I am truly sorry for any trouble I may have caused your family with my approach to the situation this morning. I…" I paused, the words catching in my throat and my voice dropping so it was barely above a whisper. "I'd just really like to see Renesmee again; to see how she is. There's so few like us…"

I lifted my eyes and looked at Carlisle. He looked back at me, his face showing sympathy for my obvious desperation and discomfort. He opened his mouth and began to speak, his voice gentle.

"Nahuel, I'm really not sure that this is the best time."

A movement behind him caught my eye and my focus moved away from his face and onto the figure behind him; a slim young woman with long dark curls strode confidently towards us.

"Carlisle, it's fine, I'd like to meet Nahuel again too." As she moved forward and spoke to her ridiculously young looking grandfather, she never took her eyes off me. My breathing became uneven. She had grown more beautiful than I could have imagined. I was dazzled by her. As I watched her approach, she smiled at me and, although it seemed to reach her eyes, I thought I also detected some sadness there. I truly hoped that I wasn't the cause of this. However, I knew deep down that I probably was.

Carlisle turned towards her, his face serious now and his eyes searching hers; he clearly didn't think this a wise move on her part. Still, he stood aside to let her pass, reading the determination in her movements as she stepped over the threshold of the house before she turned back to him briefly. "I'll see you later," then she turned and gestured with her head for me to follow her, before setting off down the porch steps.

****

**Nessie POV**

We'd been walking steadily at a near-human pace through the woods for a full five minutes now without speaking a word. The beautiful stranger walking a step behind me intrigued me. I looked back at him often, every time he was looking directly back at me, his eyes full of something that looked almost like awe. My heart stuttered each time I caught his eye and I smiled shyly back. I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting from this man. His boldness in travelling so far from the south didn't fit with the quiet and hesitant looking person that was following me through the trees now.

Finally we reached the clearing that I had been heading for and I made my way over to the fallen tree trunk that lay off to the left where the trees met the small open space. I sat down on a shaded part of the trunk and Nahuel lowered himself down next to me, right where a shaft of sunlight angled down between the tall tree tops. It shone onto him; the effect nothing like as spectacular as when my full vampire family were touched by the sunlight, but the shimmering effect on his rich, brown skin was impressive enough to cause me to gasp quietly in appreciation. I found my eyes darting quickly down to where his shirt gently skimmed the well defined contours and I wondered how his chest would look in the sunlight. A wave of guilt washed briefly over me as I suddenly thought of Jake, waiting for me back at my grandparents' house. I fought to push it to the back of my mind, I was doing nothing wrong here, and it was unfair of Jake to protest about it. He had his pack brothers to relate to; I had nobody exactly like me close by. I had always been aware of that, even as loved as I was by my family and by Jacob.

I was aware of Nahuel shifting slightly as he spoke to me for the first time, his voice clear and lilting with hardly a trace of an accent. "Rensemee," a shiver ran through me as he said my name. These feelings were all new to me, there had only ever been Jake, always, and that love had grown and changed as I did. Jacob's very presence affected me completely, and when he wasn't close by I couldn't feel whole; but it was all comfortable and soothing, not the sparks and shivers that I was experiencing in the presence of this virtual stranger.

I looked up at him and could read the apprehension in his face. "I'd be lying if I said that I thought it was absolutely the right thing to do, coming here to find you." His eyes were scanning my face now, searching for some indication of my own thoughts and clues to the response he could expect. "But the past few years, I've not been able to get your existence out of my head. To know there was somebody the same as me out there has been at the centre of my thoughts for years now. I've tried to fight the urge to come here and disturb everything you have, believe me, but in the end I just couldn't resist it any longer." He swallowed and looked down. His voice was quieter when he spoke again and I could hear the note of regret in it. "I'm sorry if I've already caused you problems by coming here. I just felt I needed to know you better; to understand what you have here."

He lifted his face to the sky now and a bitter laugh escaped his lips. "You know, I used to blame myself for my mother's death. Huilen had told me so much about her, she was such an amazing woman," he inhaled deeply before continuing. "And I killed her, with my very existence, just by being born." He sighed deeply and raised his eyes to meet mine again. I noticed they were brighter and more alive and when he spoke again his voice had an edge of excitement to it. "When I came here and met your family, saw how you lived and how your parents loved each other; how they loved you, I realised that I wasn't the one that was to blame at all, my father was far more responsible for how the situation had turned out. I realise that I have my sisters now since my father's…demise, but really, although they're half immortal like us, they have only ever lived a similar life to me. There's something so compelling to me about everything you have here."

The shiver had run up my spine again as he'd spoken the word 'us' and I berated myself silently for allowing the reaction. Before I could recover fully, he had finished speaking and reached for my hand, taking it and holding it with both of his. My stomach fluttered at the unexpected gesture and I glanced down, the contrast between my pale skin and the deep rich red-brown of his reminding me again of Jake. As my eyes trailed back up to his though, all previous thoughts disappeared as I got lost in the brown depths gazing back at me. "Renesmee, if you'll agree I'd love to stay a while and get to know you." I opened my mouth to speak but an angry voice beat me to it.

"Like hell you will."


	5. Chapter 5

**As always, huge thanks to Nikki and Dani *snogs*, and welcome on board to my two new permanent betas, Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked. Thanks for your help so far :o).**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 5**

**Nahuel PoV**

My head snapped around in the direction of the voice. There stood Jacob, shirtless and trembling with rage. It was unclear whether his statement had been directed at Renesmee or me; his furious expression was focused on us both equally. Renesmee's head had turned too, but she had otherwise frozen, her hand still in mine. I felt her begin to shake and she reclaimed her hand as she stood to face the huge man before us.

Rising, I automatically moved to stand in front of her; noting as I did so, that this appeared to anger him further. All of my senses alerted me to the fact that Jacob was dangerous right now. The trembling built to a crescendo as he threatened to phase into the huge wolf form that I had witnessed only once before. Before he could change though, two more figures emerged quickly from the trees behind him, moving across the clearing and stopping directly in front of him, their backs to us.

"Jake, enough." Bella placed her hand on Jacob's naked, quaking chest and the sudden cold sensation of her icy hand on his hot skin was enough to break his focus and look down, noticing her and Edward for the first time. The steely expressions on their faces were enough to tell me how serious this situation was. I had underestimated Jacob and the depth of his possessiveness toward Renesmee when I decided to pursue her. Edward turned his head toward me and raised an eyebrow, a reminder that he was able to read my thoughts as clearly as if I had spoken them.

I looked back at Jacob now, his breathing still heavy enough to hear from where we stood. He seemed to be calming down now as Bella spoke to him, her voice too low for me to hear, even with my exceptional hearing. Edward had also turned back to speak and I watched as Jacob nodded his head. Bella took his arm then and he half turned with her, before he looked back at Renesmee. His eyes still burned with the anger that had threatened to boil over only moments before. He opened his mouth to speak and then seemed to think better of it, turning and walking away. I noticed that Bella's hand lay on his back in a gesture of comfort and then they disappeared from view, into the trees.

Edward had remained. After watching Jacob and Bella walk away, he turned slowly then crossed the space to where we stood. I moved aside so that I was no longer in front of Renesmee, then she moved forward so she was beside me. Edward's expression was strained as he focused first on his daughter's face, before looking at me. His perfect brow furrowed as he addressed me

"Nahuel, my first instinct is to demand that you leave." I felt a flash of panic and thought I'd gasped aloud, until I realised that the sound had come from next to me. Renesmee was standing with her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed at her father. Her mouth hung open momentarily, before she closed it again, licking her lips before she spoke. Despite the situation, the simple, sensual action registered in my brain. Edward's head flew back around, his eyes burning into mine, accusingly. My eyes widened in alarm now and I took a step back, holding my palms up in front of me.

"Dad--"

"I hadn't finished what I was going to say, Nessie." Edward slowly turned back to look at his daughter, his face softening slightly, before he turned back to me. "However, my daughter has made it clear that she would like to spend some time with you." His voice lowered and almost cracked as he continued. "It's very difficult for Bella and me, Nahuel. We've done the best we can for Nessie, and it's hard for us to discover that there's more she needs, that we cannot give her. It's even harder for Jacob; we will always be her parents, Jacob, however, feels that his own role in Renesmee's life could be under threat with your presence here."

Beside me, Renesmee fidgeted slightly and ran her hand through her hair, sighing deeply. I made a conscious effort not to look directly at her now while Edward was here too, knowing that I couldn't rely on my thoughts to remain benign. I wasn't sure if I imagined it but Edward seemed to nod his head slightly, as a sign of understanding and appreciation.

"Dad, I have no intention of hurting Jake, he means the world to me, and you _know_ that." Her voice had been soft but suddenly picked up. "Jeez! Jake knows this better than anyone! I shouldn't be getting shit from him over this." She waved her arm, gesturing between herself and me. "This is something I have to do for myself. I _want_ to know somebody the same as me. Please, don't be angry at Nahuel, I completely understand why he felt he had to come here. He didn't know about Jake and me." Edward nodded, confirming her words were true. "Please, could you give us a moment Dad? Could you tell Jake I said to go home? I'll meet him back there soon."

Edward stepped forward and embraced Renesmee, whispering quietly to her as he did so. After a moment he let her go, flashing a warning glance in my direction before his manners got the better of him and he spoke my name curtly with a sharp nod. He turned and left then, following the route that Bella and Jacob had taken.

Renesmee spun around to face me, her bronze curls flying out from her head and bobbing for a moment, before they were still. She looked troubled, understandably, and I fought the urge to gather her in my arms to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry Nahuel, for all of this…mess; for Jake and for my Dad. Honestly, I…" words seemed to fail her and she looked down, shaking her head from side to side. I watched her curls again and longed to reach out and touch them, to run my fingers through them. She looked up at me then, an apologetic half smile on her face, which

became puzzled. She'd obviously caught the flash of guilt that had crossed my face when she'd looked up while I was thinking about touching her. I smiled back quickly and she seemed to forget her confusion as she reflected the smile back at me.

"Renesmee, how about we make a deal?" The confused expression returned again as she waited for me to reveal my thoughts to her, "Now we know that we both want the same thing," she seemed to shiver very slightly as I spoke, although I wasn't sure if I was just watching her too closely and had imagined it. "Let's both stop apologising for this, at least to each other."

She smiled wider and looked relieved. "Deal." She thrust her hand out quickly for me to shake and I slowly slid mine into hers until it fit exactly around it. I squeezed gently as I shook it and raised my eyes to meet hers.

"Deal," I said quietly, and this time I was certain that she shivered because I felt it in her hand before it travelled through my body too. Both of us seemed reluctant to break either connection, so we stayed like that for a moment, eyes locked together as closely as our hands. Then Renesmee blinked and it had gone. I hadn't even realised that my heart had stopped, but in the next moment it thumped loudly back to life and I exhaled loudly as apparently I'd been holding my breath too.

"Nahuel, I really should go. I need to sort things out with Jake; I can't leave it like this." I nodded in agreement, even though I didn't want her to leave. The thought of her going back to the wolf didn't exactly thrill me either. She took a step back now, pulling her hand away from mine. "Will you come to Carlisle and Esme's house again tomorrow? I'll meet you there. I really don't think it's a good idea for you to come to my house with Jake acting like he is," she rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm sure everyone would enjoy a proper chance to catch up with you too, once today's excitement has died down."

"I'd like that too. I'll look forward to it," I answered her, silently adding that I wouldn't be looking forward to it as much as I'd be anticipating seeing her again. I was glad that Edward wasn't here to hear me. She smiled.

"Tomorrow then…" and she moved away across the clearing, turning to wave quickly before she disappeared into the trees.

I stood for a long time, watching the spot where she'd disappeared, half hoping that she'd change her mind and reappear, although I knew that this wouldn't happen. My head was a whirl of memories, from the time I'd spent with her. I was surprised at just how many small details I'd taken in that I hadn't consciously noticed at the time that now filled my head. The way that her smile was ever so slightly crooked, the exact chocolate brown colour of her eyes, the way the sunlight made her bronze curls even more vibrant. It went on. Every memory that floated to the surface of my consciousness enhanced my jubilant mood further. I was feeling buoyant, my emotions peaking as I recalled the shiver; the way it moved through her and passed to me in the way that an electrical current moved through a wire. My limbs tingled now as I remembered the sensation. I circled the clearing as I allowed my thoughts to be filled with her and everything about her. Then the image of an angry Jacob appeared from nowhere and I was quickly brought back to the moment, my exultation evaporating instantly. Not everybody was going to get out of this situation unharmed emotionally. While I knew and accepted that either Jacob or I were going to be badly hurt, I intensely regretted that whichever way this went, Renesmee was not going to emerge unscathed.

**So…what do you think of events so far?**

**Please review if you have a moment, I love reading people's thoughts; they keep me inspired to carry on!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OK people, this was my first attempt at writing something lemony! **

**Extra thanks this chapter to Nikki and Dani *snogs*, and my betas, Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked. I really couldn't have done this without all of you. Oh, and the bottle of wine ;o). **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 6**

**Nessie POV**

Even though dusk was falling, I'd decided to walk all the way home through the woods, delaying the inevitable confrontation for as long as possible. My pace varied according to my thoughts. When I considered Jake, as he'd been in the clearing and what was waiting for me at home, my feet dragged as though they were encased in concrete. Conversely, when I realised I'd been thinking of Nahuel, I also noticed that I'd been all but skipping along. This concerned me. I was meant to be with Jake, it was natural and it felt right, what else could possibly be out there for me that was any better? _Who_ could be better? Jake worshipped me, I was the centre of his universe and had been since the day I was born, what on earth would I trade that in for? I knew enough of adult relationships to realise that I was as lucky as hell. It had never even been in question that my very being wouldn't have Jake at its core.

I was trying to work out what on earth had happened today that could have had such an impact on my whole life, my whole mindset? What could actually be enough to let even a shadow of doubt about Jake creep into my thoughts?

I'd reached home now and could put it off no longer. A knot of dread was sitting firmly in my stomach, growing tighter with the passing seconds as I approached the house, walked up the steps, and turned the door handle. I pushed the door open gently, holding my breath. My ears were alert for any clues as to what might be lying ahead for me, but all I could hear was music playing quietly from the direction of the living room. I turned and pushed the door closed behind me, turning the handle again as I did so to avoid the loud click of the latch giving my entrance away. As I turned back to face into the hallway, I realised that I couldn't be quiet enough to sneak up on him. Jake stood in a faded black shirt and jeans, leaning his shoulder against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He sighed and his face was smooth as he tilted his head to the side and rested it on the wall too.

"Pretty fucked up day, hey Ness?" His voice was quiet and calm, and it was difficult to believe that this was the same man that had made me feel threatened back in the clearing with his anger. I had been surprised when Nahuel had stepped in front of me in that moment. I was sure that Jake would never have touched me, but I also knew that at least some of his anger was directed toward me.

I wasn't sure what to make of his demeanour and eyed him suspiciously; this was the last reception I'd been expecting.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that," I snorted slightly and raised my eyebrows at the understatement. I looked up at him, his huge frame filling the narrow hallway in front of me. He lifted his head and pushed himself away from the wall.

"C'mere," he stepped towards me and stretched his long, beautiful brown arms out to me. The expression on his face was soft and so full of love that it was impossible not to respond. I opened my arms to him too, and let him envelop me in his embrace. He kissed the top of my head and then rested his cheek in the same spot.

"I'm sorry Jake," I whispered, nuzzling into his chest and inhaling the comforting and familiar scent of him.

"Me too, Nessie, me too," he replied, his hand placed lightly on the back of my head while his thumb gently stroked my hair.

I stood there, feeling completely at home and whole. This was nice; it made sense that this was how things were supposed to be. I couldn't help but wonder, though, about the sensations I got from being near Nahuel. There was something exciting about the way the shivers passed quickly through me, like a shooting star streaking across the sky; then when it's gone you wonder whether it really happened or if you had imagined it.

Jacob moved his hands now and cupped my face gently, tilting it upward as he bent to kiss my lips, so softly that I barely even registered the touch. He moved his head back slightly and looked searchingly into my eyes, before placing his lips on mine again. I felt a familiar warmth begin to build inside me and must have responded to it, as suddenly Jake was kissing me more hungrily, his tongue gently nudging my lips apart to find mine.

I moved my hands up, sliding them across his well defined shoulders and up to the back of his neck, running my fingers through the short hair there. I gently dragged my fingernails down the back of his neck and he responded, as I knew he would. He increased the pace of the kiss and slid his hands down to my waist, where they paused for a moment. Then he was moving them again, slipping them round onto my back and then lower, to reach the tops of my thighs, before moving them back up again.

I broke away from the kiss, my breath coming in gasps now. Looking up at him, I was fully aware of the hunger blazing in my eyes and saw it reflected right back at me from his. He bent to kiss me again but I stepped around him, turning as I did so. He turned his body as I did, unwilling to break the loaded eye contact. Still without looking away, I slid my hand under the hem of his shirt and hooked my fingers into the waistband of his jeans, towing him along as I backed toward the bedroom. A smile played on his lips as he followed me more than willingly, his bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor.

As we reached the doorway, his patience gave way to his desire and he quickly closed the space between us, forcing me backward across the small space inside the door, and onto the bed where he landed on top of me, controlled enough not to crush me. We picked up the kiss where we had left off, pausing only for me to pull his shirt off over his head. As I did so, I was as stricken as ever by the beauty of Jake's muscled body and the rich, warm red-brown tone of his skin. I took a moment to appreciate it, before he interrupted me roughly with his mouth on mine. He moved his head to the side and placed tiny kisses along my jaw and down onto my neck. The sensation caused the warmth inside me to grow hotter and a slick of wetness to form between my legs. I was as desperate for him now, as he was for me.

As Jake's lips reached the base of my throat, he pushed himself up on his forearms to undo my blouse. His breathing was fast and I could see him becoming more impatient as his huge fingers struggled with the tiny buttons. Suddenly, with a gasp of frustration, he grasped the material with two hands and yanked it, ripping the fabric away from my pale skin, causing me to moan with excitement at the gesture and his obvious impatience for what was to come. I put a hand on his perfect chest and pushed him back into a kneeling position, enough to raise myself half upright, where I was able to pull my blouse off completely and allow Jake to reach around me to unhook my bra and slide it off. As he bent to kiss my breasts, I moved my shoulders back, pushing my chest toward him as I reached my arm forward, past his head to trace the V shape of his muscles down to his waistband. I brushed my hand across his stomach, to unbutton his jeans, sliding them down to his knees where he managed to kick them off.

I took a long look at him, my eyes half closed with desire and my breathing heavy as I took in the beauty of his body, before my eyes moved down to meet the shape of his hard cock, straining against the fabric of his shorts. I looked back up at him; he was gazing at my body lustfully, much as I'd been at his. His dark eyes crept back up and met my gaze. I saw the animal instinct spark in his eyes, as he read the desire in mine. He leaned forward to kiss me roughly, his hot hands moving all over me, the pressure from his lips forcing me back onto the bed, both of us groaning now from the pleasure of the touches and the longing they created for more.

I stretched my arms up above my head and slid one foot up the bed, bending my knee and leaning it against the hot flesh on Jake's side. My own heat was flowing throughout my body now and the wetness between my legs had increased. I gasped and writhed with every graze of Jake's tongue on my bare skin, arching my back and squeezing my bent leg inward whenever it became too much, trying to create some friction to ease the ache in my centre. I moved my arms down now, sliding my hands over the contours of his taut muscles, my heart beating faster each time one of them flexed as he moved.

His fingers found the button on my jeans and he undid them. Raising himself off the bed so I could bring my legs together, he eased them down. As he did this, his tongue started on a path down my body, tracing across my stomach, then continued lower. I groaned in frustration when he paused, moving so he could yank off my shoes and remove my jeans completely. He threw them down quickly, before pushing my knees apart to make a space for himself, sliding back onto the bed while he moved his tongue teasingly up my thigh. He licked and nibbled tantalizingly, never close enough to relieve any of my frustration but keeping just near enough to allow the ache to build, almost painfully. Eventually, it obviously became too much for him too and he moved in quickly and unexpectedly, burying his face in the fabric of my panties, nuzzling and nipping at the moist fabric there. My breath escaped in a throaty moan and my back arched again in an involuntary spasm. I gasped again, louder this time, as he literally ripped my underwear away when it became too much of a barrier, quickly discarding the shredded fabric before putting his head back between my legs. He explored me with his tongue, gently at first as he swept it just between my wet lips, moving upwards, circling my clit quickly and making me gasp, then back down. He did this a few times, groaning with pleasure himself as he did so, before he suddenly plunged his tongue inside me as far as it would go, burying his face in me. After a moment he pulled it out again and sucked hungrily on my clit, causing a groan to escape from my mouth, as I shuddered in ecstasy.

He kept on with the teasing, the plunging, the sucking, and the circling until I thought I could take no more – then he slid one hand up from where it sat on the inside of my thigh. He went back to the gentle circling and teasing with his tongue while his fingers slowly stroked my wetness, sliding easily over the swollen skin, then gently slipping inside me, one finger at first, then out, then two. I was groaning with each stroke of his tongue and every move of his fingers, my back lifting off the bed, and my hips swivelling rhythmically as I pushed myself against him. The sensations were building now and as they engulfed me I pulled my hands off him, grabbing a handful of the bedclothes with my left hand and clapping my right tightly across my forehead, my elbow in the air as my neck craned right back.

As I felt myself start to cum, my hips moved automatically in time with the waves of pleasure. I cried out and my right hand moved up from my forehead to my hair, where it gripped tightly as my head moved jerkily from side to side, the sensation the strange mix of unbearable and pleasure at the same time. As the feeling gave way to relief, my thighs squeezed together and tightened around Jake. I let them flop back again and he moved his face back, looking into my eyes as he slid his fingers out of me, causing me to gasp quietly.

His dark eyes were blazing now with something so fierce that it made him look almost intimidating. I whimpered slightly as the look on his face set the fire coursing through me again. He read the message in my eyes clearly and pulled his body up on top of mine, never looking away from my eyes. It was obvious that he wanted to be inside me now as much as I needed him to be. I reached down to his hips with both hands, pushing his underwear over his skin and down, causing him to groan as the material brushed against his cock, before it sprang free. I moved my hands up as he kicked them off over his feet. I let my fingers stroke the inside of his thigh, cupping his balls slightly as I moved my hand upward to stroke his hardness, causing him to groan louder. His reaction caused my breath to come in gasps again. He reacted to the sound and dropped down onto me again. Before I knew it he was inside me, causing us both to cry out, partly in relief at the connection at last, and partly at the blissful sensation of it. We moved together, both seeming eager to be even closer to each other than was physically possible. Jake closed his eyes, his breath coming in quiet groans to match my own. He looked at me and moved his lips toward mine. We kissed and the sensations increased with the added emotion of the act. He reached under my right leg and lifted it up around his waist. I curled it around him and then lifted my left leg too, crossing my ankles to lock them into place and squeezing my thighs together around him. Jake moaned loudly, as he continued to thrust into me and I bucked my hips back toward him.

After a while he slowed the pace, lifting his face slightly and planting a gentle kiss onto my lips. I smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"I love you," I murmured, breathlessly

"Love you too, Ness," he whispered back, before smiling mischievously and rolling to the side and onto his back, taking me with him, unlocking my legs as I rolled, so that I was on top of him now, my knees on the bed. I groaned at the extra depth the new position allowed, grinding down onto him as he pushed up into me at the same time. Jake took advantage of the new position, reaching up to touch my breasts, gently stroking my nipples with his thumbs. His touch caused me to sigh loudly and arch my back in delicious pleasure. I bent to kiss him again and he placed his hands on my hips, guiding my movements as I sat back up. I could feel the sensations building again for me, but before they could get stronger, Jake had lifted me off of him. I looked into his eyes and it took my breath away. Never had I seen him looking so intense, with quite so much excitement and desire in his eyes. I could guess what he was thinking and obliged happily, turning away from him. In a split second he had pushed himself up and was behind me. I felt his hand on my hip, pulling me toward him. I arched my back again and moved my knees apart, offering myself to him as I reached out to the headboard to steady myself.

He was teasing me now. He held his cock with the tip touching my entrance, gently stroking it up and down, our wetness mingling so that he slid easily across my lips. I groaned and he laughed. He leaned his head forward so that his mouth was next to my ear

"Patience, Ness," he whispered huskily.

His voice was too much, I could take no more and just at the right moment I pushed backward, causing him to plunge inside me, deliciously deep. I cried out loudly.

"Fuck, Nessie," Jake gasped, as he pushed himself inside me again and again. He moved his hands now so that one cupped my breast while the other traced a path down to my clit, where it circled, raising the sensations to impossible heights. I was panting now, the sensations from Jake's cock as it thrust deep inside me, taking my breath away, each time he pushed into me.

Jake was groaning more loudly now too and I knew that he was close. Finally it all became too much for me as the sensations grew, almost impossibly.

"Fuck, Jake, I'm gonna cum," I gasped as the waves began to build. My body began to squeeze Jake's cock tightly and in the throes of my own pleasure I felt him begin to lose control too. We moved together, almost frantically now, as the feeling built to a crescendo. We both cried out loudly as we came together, my fingers gripping the headboard tightly and Jake gripping me.

Slowly, the rhythm of our bodies slowed right down and we collapsed in a heap on the bed. We lay, gasping and drained, until our breathing, and eventually our heart rates, returned to normal.

With no other words than our declarations of love for each other, we shuffled under the bedclothes, wrapped in each others' arms, kissing each other deliciously yet lazily now. It wasn't long before the events of the day caught up with me; I felt my eyelids drooping, wriggled closer into Jake's chest, planted one last kiss on him and slipped into a deep sleep.

**Reviews are always welcome. Come on, I think I deserve some after the amount of sweating that I did over this – possibly more than Jake & Nessie ;o)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks as ever to Nikki & Dani for their tolerance(!), pre-reading and encouragement and Angelz1114577 and Whitlocked from Project Team Beta for their help :o)**

**Would love to know what you all think so far, please add any comments in the reviews section, I read and try to reply to everyone, your words inspire me to keep going!**

**Chapter 7**

**Jacob's PoV**

I lay with Nessie snuggled into my chest, my arms around her as I listened to the deep, regular breaths that told me that she had fallen asleep. I couldn't help smiling as I turned my head to plant a kiss on top of the now untidy curls on her head. It had been one hell of a day. I'd stood in that clearing, shaking with so much anger that I'd been too frightened to allow myself to phase, while I was so furious with Ness.

I'd wondered then if we would ever lie like this again. I was pretty convinced, lying here now, that had I stayed as angry as I was then the answer would have been no. Nessie was so set in her determination to befriend _him_ - I was unable to even think his name without my lip curling in anger - I knew she would only push harder if I tried to stop her from doing it; she had inherited a good dose of stubbornness from each of her parents.

Thinking of Bella and Edward, reminded me of the very reason behind my over-reaction to the situation. I'd been here before and I'd lost. The pain of losing Bella to Edward had been immeasurable, and only eased when Nessie was born. I couldn't even bear to think what the pain of losing the very person I had been designed for would be like. I couldn't explain this to Nessie; her parents and I made a pact when she was very young that we wouldn't let her know the exact nature of the relationship between the three of us in the past, letting her believe that Bella and I had never been anything more than best friends.

Today had felt like a week. My emotions had taken a beating and it was heaven to be lying here, content for the time being, as I listened to the rhythm of Nessie's steady breathing. Eventually, my own slowed down until it matched hers and I drifted off into a deep sleep too.

********

I wasn't sure how long we'd been asleep when Nessie began murmuring to herself. It was loud enough to rouse me, but not clear enough for me to understand what she was saying, as usual. Ness did this a lot, and although it always disturbed me from my own dreams, I loved seeing her like this. I moved my hand so that it covered hers, which was still resting on my chest. Hesitantly, and a little guiltily, I raised it slowly to my cheek, held it there and closed my eyes again.

A couple of minutes passed and Nessie was still mumbling. Slowly images began to swim into view in my head. These were not my thoughts though, these were Ness's dreams.

I couldn't help smiling as her unconscious mind replayed the scenes before we fell asleep. In her dream, she had her head thrown back and her eyes closed, but the sounds and sensations were as clear as everything that had actually happened. I got to feel exactly what she'd felt and could now understand exactly what each of the sleep-murmured words were, and why. I found myself pressing her hand more firmly to my face as the sensations she was feeling grew – then in the dream she opened her eyes.

The face looking back at her was not mine, but _his_.

I jumped about a mile, pushing her hand away as though it had physically burned me. I scrambled out of the bed, my thoughts whirring around in my head, too fast to catch any of them completely. I backed up to the wall, cursing repeatedly as I tried to process what had just happened. I looked at the bed in the half-light that came though the gap in the door, where we'd been in too much of a hurry to turn off the hallway light, and I saw that Renesmee had woken up. She was half-sitting and looked across at me groggily, the comforter bunched up around her naked body.

"Jake? What's up?" I could see the confusion on her face as she squinted at me, standing naked across the room. I was unable to even focus on her, such was my agitation. I felt myself begin to shake and knew that the change was inevitable this time and I was no longer able, nor did I want to prevent it. I just needed to get out of here before it happened.

Still cursing, I bolted across the room to the door, flinging it open and racing down the hallway. I fumbled with the lock on the front door before flying through it and finally phasing as I leapt off the porch steps.

**Nessie PoV**

I sat there for a moment, my head still dull with sleep, wondering what had happened to make Jake bolt like that? The last time I'd seen him awake everything had been fine between us, a lot more than fine in fact. My memories of our lovemaking flashed through my mind and reminded me of the dream I'd just been having before I'd been woken by Jake leaping out of bed, a string of profanities escaping his lips as he did so. And then it dawned on me, I'd bet anything that Jacob had been watching my dreams again.

"Fuck!" I slammed my fists down on top of the comforter and threw myself backward onto the pillows, an infuriated growl leaving my mouth. I lay there, my heart thumping in my chest. Just when things had looked like they were going to be ok, he had to go and do this.

The dream spying had been an issue with us before. He said that he loved to watch my dreams, and there were definite benefits to being woken up by him when he saw something he liked, but as often as not, he'd see things that he didn't like. Nothing as serious as what had happened just now, but things that made him unhappy. I couldn't bear seeing him unhappy. In the end, the only solution I could find was to beg him to stop watching and as far as I'd been aware, he had done so; obviously I was wrong.

I had no idea what to do now. If I knew Jake, he was running off the anger as though his life depended on it. There was no way in the world that, fast as I was, I'd ever be able to catch up to him, so chasing after him wasn't an option. I could go and see my parents, but I really wasn't sure that I wanted my Dad seeing inside my head at the moment, knowing exactly what had just happened. Talking to my Mom wasn't an option, she never seemed very impartial when it came to Jake for some reason.

I sighed deeply and sat up, pushing my now unruly curls away from my face with my hand. I stretched out on my front and wriggled across the bed to the far edge, reaching down with my arm when I got there to where my jeans were still in a twisted bundle on the floor. I pulled the bundle up with one hand, while I groped with the other to try and fish my cell phone from my pocket. I pushed myself up and clambered back into the bed, pulling the covers up over my bare skin. I found the number I wanted in my phone book and pressed the call button. It rang only once before a voice answered, the sound acting as a lance to the boil of emotion that had built up again inside of me.

"Rose? It's Nessie," I began. And then I lost it. These were the only words I was able to speak before the tears came, not with the racking sobs of the previous afternoon, but fast and hard enough that I was unable to speak. At the other end of the line, my Aunt was silent for a moment, before promising to leave right away before she hung up the phone.

Rose had never been Jacob's greatest fan. She was mine however, and I was relieved beyond words that she had promised to come. Unfortunately, she and Emmett were currently living several hours drive away, but knowing she was on her way at least, eased a lot of the worry for me. I allowed myself to languish in my misery for a full five minutes before I felt that I'd indulged my anguish enough. I could hardly be held accountable for my dreams, surely? It's not as though I had any sort of control over what my unconscious was producing. The more I thought about it though, the more concerned I became that my mind held the details to produce such images.

I wiped the residue of the tears from my face with the backs of my hands and climbed out of the bed, lifting my robe from the hook on the back of the door as I passed it, pulling it on. Making my way to the bathroom, I ran a deep bubble bath, cleaning my teeth while I waited for it to fill. I tied my hair up on top of my head, slipped off my robe and climbed in, laying back and sighing as the hot water surrounded me; the bubbles crackling as the water lapped gently before becoming still again. My mind wandered, full of questions about Jake; where he'd got to, when he'd be back, and what questions and accusations he'd have ready for me when he did finally show up. I wondered whether that would be before, or after Rose arrived.

********

I was awoken by the smell of food cooking some hours later. I couldn't imagine that I would ever really enjoy human food the way that Jake did, but since we'd been living together, it was just easier if we ate the same thing.

I'd soaked in the bath for nearly an hour after I'd phoned Rosalie, and by the end of it I felt relaxed enough to attempt sleeping again. I'd pulled on some clean pyjamas and climbed back into bed, deliberately lying on Jake's side, his smell on the pillow and sheets helping me drift back to sleep.

I tried to open my eyes to read the time on the clock that sat on Jake's nightstand, squinting in the dim light that came through the shade at the window. It was ten a.m. I must have been exhausted; it was unlike me to sleep in so late. I certainly didn't feel like I'd benefited from it at all, I was sure I could sleep for another twelve hours straight if only I didn't ache so much. I hadn't moved my position since I fell asleep and as I stretched every muscle and joint in my body seemed to complain. Ironically, the past few hours had been filled with dreams of Jake, and only Jake. I was eager to get up now and see if he was home. I'd lived with Jake long enough to know that it was most likely to be Rose who was cooking, preparing breakfast for me. I hoped that Jake would be back and joining me for the meal. I braced myself for what the day ahead held and pushed my aching body from the bed, padding from the room and toward the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

**All the usual thanks, Nikki, Dani and Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB :o)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 8**

**Nessie PoV**

Rose looked up from the juice she was pouring as I walked through the doorway. She sighed and tilted her head to one side, her eyes reflecting my sadness as she took in my face. Placing the juice carton down, she swiftly crossed the kitchen and pulled me into a tight hug against her cold, hard body, rubbing my back comfortingly as we stood there. We stayed like that for a while before Rosalie pulled back a little, lifting one hand to gently brush my curls out of my face and push them back over my shoulder.

"Nessie," her voice was sympathetic as she looked into my eyes. "What's been going on?" I looked back at her, afraid to speak for fear of the tears returning. Instead, I raised my hand to her face, placing it carefully onto her ice cold cheek and I showed her everything that had happened yesterday, including what had happened with Nahuel. Embarrassed, I edited heavily the part where Jake and I had sex, but showed her the part where he had watched my dream, before running out. As the images ended I moved my hand away again, watching Rosalie's face carefully to try and gauge her reaction. She rolled her eyes, her face showing signs of exasperation. "Stupid mutt," she uttered as she pulled me into another embrace.

We'd always been close, and as I'd grown, our relationship became more like that of sisters than aunt and niece. Rose had always stood by me, no matter what decisions I made, to make sure that I was happy. She'd even gone so far as to support me against my Dad, when he was so strongly opposed to me moving in with Jake without getting married first. She was formidable when she had committed to a course of action or a set of beliefs and her demeanour now, told me that she was firmly on my side again.

She pulled away and led me over to the kitchen counter where she'd laid some breakfast out, pulling a stool out for me to sit on, and then walking around to the other side of the counter to sit opposite me. I ate quickly, suddenly ravenous as I realised that I had barely eaten a thing in the last twenty four hours. She watched me for a few minutes, her face contemplative enough for me to realise that she was trying to work out a solution to the whole mess.

"Nessie, I'll help you as much as I can, you know that don't you?" she asked, her eyes fixed firmly on me. I replied with a confident nod of my head. "So, discounting the shooting star shivers," her eyes twinkled playfully as she said this and I couldn't stop my lips turning up slightly into a smile at her. "How do you feel about Nahuel being here and wanting to see you?" I dipped my head for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling. I looked back at Rose who was sitting patiently, waiting for me to answer.

"Well, shooting star shivers aside," I raised my eyebrows and smiled before quickly becoming serious again. "I completely understand his reasons and I feel the same way. I reached across the counter with one of my hands and grasped one of Rosalie's firmly. "You know I love you guys as much as it's possible to love anyone. You're my family and I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job of raising me, but I know exactly where Nahuel's coming from when he wants to get to know me. Nobody else quite knows what it's like to not be one thing or the other, to not be like anybody else." Rose was looking a little sceptical now and I could guess where her thoughts were. "I know he has sisters, but they were raised by his father who he despised. You know what he thought of all of us when he visited before to help us, Rose, how it made him feel about his parents and himself."

My voice had increased in pitch and volume and my last statement almost came out in a wail. "If we both want this friendship, then I don't actually see what the problem is?" My breathing was ragged now and I sat looking at her as it slowly eased and became even again. Her voice was level as she replied to what I had intended to be a rhetorical question.

"The problem Nessie, as you know, is the shooting stars." I looked at her, knowing that she was right but being unable to acknowledge this aloud. "So if we count the shooting stars in, same question; how do you feel about Nahuel being here and wanting to see you?"

I pulled my hand back, slamming my elbows down onto the counter and dropping my head roughly into my hands at the same time, my fingertips splayed and tensed across my forehead and my thumbs digging into my cheeks. Frustration filled my head as I struggled with the question.

"Argh! I don't know!" I pulled my hands away from my face, my elbows still on the counter. "I just…don't know!" I closed my eyes briefly and rubbed them with my fingertips, sighing deeply before opening them again, and turning the palms of my hands upwards as I focused on Rosalie. "I've never had anything like this with Jake," I folded my left arm down in front of me and leaned my head on the fingers and thumb of my right hand. "It's always been easy. It's felt right…natural." Rose was looking at me, concern on her face. I continued hurriedly as I noticed. "It's good, don't get me wrong, just no shivers. No shooting stars." I pulled my lips tight into a small sad smile and sighed again, folding my right arm down over my left.

"Do you love Jacob?" I understood that this was relevant given the discussion we were having, but it still cut deep that she felt she had to ask. My face contorted with pain, but I managed to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow again.

"Of course I do," I whispered. "I just can't see where all of this jealousy is coming from, this strange behaviour. Why's he so upset about it? All he needs to do to make me happy enough to not doubt anything is to be himself. Instead he's turned into this awful, angst-ridden character that I don't recognise." Rosalie looked as though she was going to say something but then appeared to change her mind. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Nessie, do you think you could change your mind about seeing Nahuel again?" I thought carefully and then shook my head. As much as I loved Jake, I needed to do this for myself, to have someone, a _friend_ that I could relate to on another level.

The answer to this question was obviously the one that Rosalie had been working toward, the one that decided what would happen next. Rosalie looked sure of herself again and stood up from the stool.

"You can't stay here to try and work this through, it'll never happen. You need to be away from the dog," I grimaced as Rosalie referred to Jake this way, it had been a long time since she was upset enough with him to revert back to the canine insults. "Until he can sort his head out and control his jealousy, he's just going to make things worse for himself – and you. Edward and Bella won't be able to help you on this one either Ness, your Mom's got too big a soft spot for Jake and trust me, Edward really doesn't need to know what's going on in your head right now. I'm going to see Carlisle, see if he can persuade Edward and Bella to track down Jake and talk some sense into him. You go and pack a bag, I'll be back soon."

I was confused at her last words.

"Why? Where are we going?" She smiled conspiratorially.

"Well, as far as everybody else is concerned, you're coming to stay with me for a few days while everything calms down here."

"And as far as we're concerned?" She placed her hand on my shoulder, still smiling.

"That's exactly what's happening; only there's slightly more to it than that." I raised my eyebrows at her, waiting for her to explain further but she turned and left the room, calling out a reminder to me about my packing as she walked out of the front door.

I sighed and headed back toward my bedroom to get ready, wondering what on earth Rosalie had planned. I was sure that I must be right to feel wary about whatever it was if it was a secret from the rest of the family, that wasn't generally how the Cullens worked. I got washed and dressed and started packing my bag, my mind wandering to Jake, wondering where he was. Thinking about him now and knowing that he was hurting started a pain of my own building in my chest. I took a few deep breaths until it was under control then zipped the bag up. I scribbled a note to Jake, sticking to the basics, that I was going to stay at Rose's for a few days, that I'd miss him and see him soon and that I loved him. I left it on his pillow and walked out of the room to wait in the kitchen for Rosalie to return.


	9. Chapter 9

**All the usual thanks, Nikki, Dani and Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB :o)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 9**

**Nahuel's PoV**

It had been a long night; I'd never known time to pass so slowly. Of course, my sisters had all been waiting anxiously for me to return. They'd never met the Cullen family themselves, so they'd had difficulty believing that I wasn't in danger when I'd gone over there the previous day. I'd taken my time returning to the apartment, knowing that as soon as I walked through the door they'd be waiting for me. I felt that I needed to get everything straight in my head first.

Renesmee had agreed to see me again, which was more than I had dared to hope for. What I hadn't foreseen at all was the complication of the werewolf. He was clearly deeply in love with her and prepared to fight for her, physically if he had to. He'd left me in no doubt of that. I stood no chance in combat with him, I was fully aware of this. I knew that the wolves were designed to destroy vampires and I had only half the strength, speed and ability in a battle.

I wondered how Renesmee was feeling about everything. On one hand, she obviously had strong feelings for Jacob as they were living together as man and wife would, yet on the other hand, I knew she had felt all the things that I had yesterday. Despite this she had still agreed to today's meeting. I really hoped that the wolf hadn't managed to persuade her to change her mind last night when she got home.

I'd been unable to relax for the remainder of the evening. However hard I tried to concentrate, my mind would continually flash back to thoughts of her. Her smell was so appealing and hypnotic, that it was impossible to identify the individual elements that it reminded me of. My stomach had flipped gently every time the breeze washed a concentrated shot of it in my direction. My memory brought me back to the way her hair bounced gently when she turned her head, the bronze colour of her curls shining brightly, and the shimmer on her beautiful porcelain pale skin when the sun touched her through the gaps in the trees. I had steered myself into her life, now this woman had sailed into my thoughts and was anchored there more firmly than I ever could have imagined possible.

Eventually I'd given up on pretending to watch the TV and was tired of the looks that my sisters were exchanging between themselves. Every time one of them tried to include me in a conversation, they had to repeat themselves because I hadn't noticed them speaking the first time. I'd climbed into bed and lay on my back, following the shadows cast on the ceiling in the dim light, knowing there was no chance of sleep for now.

I thought of Edward and his love for Bella; how he must have suffered, almost intolerably so, simply because he loved and wanted to be with her so much. I contrasted this to my father and grimaced. My mother had loved him as much as Bella loved Edward, I knew that. I was sure that, conversely, she was nothing more than a convenient distraction to him. That, at least, was of some comfort; certainly the mothers of my half sisters were even less than that to him, merely vessels capable of supplying him with the foundation of the new half-immortal race he became intent on creating. That had been the only positive thing to come out of the visit by the Volturi, the fact that they destroyed Joham and put an end to what he was doing. Well, that and the fact that I would never have known of Renemsee otherwise. Whether this was really a positive or not, I was still undecided; certainly the past few years would have been much easier for me had I still been living my life in blissful ignorance of her existence. At least I no longer felt that I was to blame for my mother's death. Edward Cullen had become a greater role model to me than my own father.

I had spent the years since the revelatory moment that I met the Cullens, promising that I would never ever treat a woman the way that Joham had. My whole life had been spent around amazing women; my aunt with her stories about my mother and then my sisters, all of them dealing with the difficult situation that we found ourselves in, accepting what we were, and on top of that the grief of losing loved ones. For myself and my aunt it was my mother; for my sisters and, to a lesser extent myself, our father.

All of this was still drifting through my mind when I fell asleep, ensuring that my dreams were filled with many of the same images. It was a restless night for me; I woke often during the night and rose early in the morning. To my relief, none of my sisters were awake when I left the apartment. I scrawled a quick note as I left, knowing that I would be unable to stay confined within these four walls whilst I waited for the time to arrive to make my way to the Cullen house again to see her.

I made a decision to go hunting, more to pass the time than for an immediate desire for the blood. When Alice, Jasper and Kachiri had first found me, I was surviving on a diet mostly consisting of human blood. Since then I had tried to abstain from this as much as possible. I had never considered feeding on animals before, but suddenly this alternative was presented to me and seemed reasonable now I had discovered that I wasn't inherently evil. I'd been trying for the past few years to live by the Cullen's philosophy. It wasn't always easy but I had managed to do it and was proud of myself for it. It was more proof that I wasn't the monster I'd always believed I was; this belief inspired my own self-hatred that had eaten away at me for one hundred and fifty years. I was still able to exist on human food too, as I was doing now, but it was really no substitute for blood.

I didn't usually struggle too much interacting with humans. I assumed this was because I was only half vampire. Huilen seemed to have much more of a problem with it than I did, but I was proud of my sisters. It had been difficult for them at first because of the way that Joham had raised them to view humans, but they were coping well now, enough to live amongst them, as we were doing for the time being.

I drove the rental car out to the forest, some distance from the Cullen house and parked up and set off to hunt, taking my time and welcoming the distraction of just using my instincts for a while. When I'd had my fill of the deer I'd managed to catch, I slowly made my way back to the car, enjoying the contrast of the land here with that back home, spending time resting in the peaceful environment. I followed a stream for a while and then sitting watching a tall, narrow waterfall as the water gushed down through the air in a never ending flow, down to the bottom where it landed in a pool, bubbling and foaming. Finally, enough time had passed and I headed for the car in earnest, eager now to arrive at my destination.

Today I parked right outside the Cullen's house, not feeling the need to arrive as surreptitiously as I had the day before. I stepped from the car, looking around as I did so. Everything was just the same as it was when I arrived yesterday, only today I had an invitation; a right to be here. I leapt quickly and gracefully up the steps onto the porch before stepping up to the door. I was about to press the door bell when the door swung open and Edward stood there, flawless as ever, his mouth even but his eyes filled with obvious angst.

"Nahuel," he acknowledged by way of a greeting, his voice low and abrupt. I eyed him warily, seeing that he had obviously not changed his own opinion of me since yesterday.

"Edward," I nodded my head and echoed the tone of his address. "I've come to see Renesmee, she asked yesterday if I would." He nodded his head very slightly, confirming that he was already aware of this, although his expression didn't change at all.

"She's not here. She's gone away for a few days, things have become a little…" he searched for a word that would adequately describe the situation "difficult for her." I immediately thought of Jacob and wondered what had happened when she had returned home last night. Countless thoughts and emotions flashed through my head, and I knew that he could read them all. Disappointment was right up there, just about at the top. "I really think it's better if you leave. I can't tell you when she'll be back, I have no idea." I couldn't be sure what he meant by 'leave', whether it was leave the house now or leave the area altogether and head back south. I had a feeling it was both although I knew that he would never admit to that. Even worse was that I knew that he heard me thinking it and he still refused to confirm it aloud, which to me was good as admitting it. Knowing that I had upset the man I respected so deeply, was hard to take. The rebuff, albeit unspoken, cut deep.

I turned and headed back down the steps, turning once to see that Edward was still standing watching me, his body as still as that of a statue. We exchanged curt nods of the head and he stepped back inside the house and closed the door. I climbed into my car, slamming the door harder than necessary and started the engine. I took my frustration out on the car and tore away from the house.

The route back to my apartment was quiet, but as I reached a bend in the highway, a red sports car pulled out sharply in front of me, seemingly from nowhere, causing me to slam my foot hard on the brake and whip the steering wheel to the side to avoid hitting it, eventually coming to a stop with the front of the car in a group of bushes. I looked over into the other car, angry now, wondering who had just pulled such a stupid manoeuvre. My heart thumped in my chest and my stomach flipped. Nothing could have made me happier than seeing the face now looking worriedly back at me from the other car.

**A/N – Please review! I'm trying to write the later chapters right now and they're hard going. A little love would definitely help spur me on and stop me defecting to Twitter every time the going gets tough!**


	10. Chapter 10

**All the usual thanks, Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas and Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB for their speedy beta'ing skills :o)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 10**

**Nessie PoV**

Rosalie refused to tell me what she had planned when she parked her car just off the highway, hidden by the trees. As we sat in the car, we were discussing Jacob. Rose knew that Edward wouldn't approve of the secret part of her plan if he heard her thoughts, so she'd visited Carlisle at the hospital to speak to him instead. My grandfather had agreed that removing me from the people involved for a few days was probably a good idea and he'd see to it that Jacob was found and spoken to. I sighed with relief, Carlisle was a good man and a man of his word, I could ask for no greater reassurance about Jake.

At that moment a blue car drove past and I realised, almost too late, who was behind the wheel. My heart stuttered in my chest and my stomach jumped as I recognised Nahuel, obviously on his way to meet me as we'd arranged yesterday. My eyes opened wide as I suddenly realised that this was the reason that we were here, _he _was the reason. My head flicked around sharply and I fixed Rosalie with a shocked look which quickly became puzzled as I wondered why we were waiting for him.

"Rose! What are we doing here?" The only explanation I could think of was that we were waiting to let him know how to contact me at Rose's, but if that were the case then why didn't she just leave a message for my father to pass on?

"Ness, I'm going to ask Nahuel to come with us. Edward and Bella would never have agreed, so that's why we're doing it this way. But honestly, I think this is the only chance you'll have of getting what you need from this, without it turning messy once everybody else gets involved." My mouth gaped open; I had not foreseen this as being her plan for one second. She reached over and took my left hand in her right, squeezing it reassuringly. "It's going to be alright Nessie, I'm here for you."

She cocked her head suddenly, and in the same second I heard what to me was just another car, coming closer to where we were parked. I saw a flash of blue through the trees, and suddenly Rose accelerated forward and turned onto the highway, forcing the other car to swerve before it came to a stop, side on, inches from some thick bushes. Rose had applied the brake as suddenly as she'd hit the gas, and we came to an abrupt stop, facing the blue car. My heart pounded in my chest from the sudden and reckless maneuver, followed just a fraction of a second later by my mind filling with worries about Nahuel as I prayed that he wasn't hurt.

I looked across and he was glaring at us through his side window. I watched his face as recognition registered, and in that instant his expression was wiped completely smooth, before a huge smile pulled the corners of his mouth upward and his eyes sparkled. Seeing the effect the sight of me had on him, it was impossible not to mirror the expression and reflect it back at him. The pounding in my chest was now nothing to do with the near miss; I knew that without a shadow of a doubt. This had taken on an altogether different feel as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. The last few seconds had seemed more like minutes, but the soft click of the drivers' side door being released brought me back to the moment and I realised that it had all happened very quickly. I turned in the direction of the sound. Rosalie was looking at me now, her brow furrowed and her eyes worried. I knew that she had noticed my reaction and was wondering if this was all a huge mistake on her part. Still, she was not one to change her course of action once committed to the direction she was taking, so she pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.

I watched her cross to where Nahuel sat in his car, his window lowering as she approached. Rose was speaking to him now. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I noticed her gesturing back to where I was sitting more than once, his eyes following her gestures and locking with mine. The intensity in his gaze reminded me of the same look his eyes held in my dream the night before, and the shivers followed quickly afterwards. They shuddered gently through my body before I felt a pink blush spreading across my cheeks at the memory. Almost instantly, I thought guiltily of Jake watching the same thing and I remembered his reaction and how he'd left. I broke eye contact with Nahuel and sighed deeply, looking down into my lap where I wrung my hands together.

When I looked up again, Rose was slipping back into the drivers' seat through the open door and Nahuel was pulling away, straightening back onto the highway before moving away in front of us. Rose buckled her seatbelt, not that she really needed it, but it didn't make sense to attract attention by not wearing it, and smoothly pulled away behind him. I looked directly at her, waiting for an update. She seemed to realise what I wanted and turned to look briefly at me.

"He says he'll come with us." She was watching closely to register my expression but I managed to keep it neutral. She looked back at the road and I was unsure whether she was satisfied that I hadn't reacted too eagerly or dissatisfied that I hadn't reacted at all. "We're going to follow him back to his place so he can let his sisters know and he can pick up some stuff." I nodded my head gently a couple of times.

"Ok." I paused for a moment, building the courage to say what I was feeling. "Rose?" I swallowed as Rose turned her head to look at me for a moment before looking back to make sure Nahuel was still in sight.

"Mmm?"

"I'm scared about this." I glanced down anxiously at my hands twisting in my lap. "I mean, not this moment specifically, but about the whole situation. I just can't see how it will ever work out." I bit down hard on my lip, fighting the tears back now. When I spoke again, my voice came out as a whisper. "I can't lose Jake, Rose, I don't know what he'd do if…"

"Ssshhh," Rose comforted me, her hand rubbing my leg. "Nessie, I'm with you on this, we'll get through it, I promise you." I smiled gratefully at her and we sat in silence for the rest of the journey. Eventually, Nahuel signalled and turned off and we did the same, pulling in behind his car. As we watched, he opened his door and slid gracefully out, pushing the door closed. He turned to us, holding up his index finger to us to indicate that he'd just be a moment. His expression appeared neutral, but when I looked more closely at his eyes they held a noticeable spark. He turned away, but before he was fully facing away from us, I saw him lose the battle he'd been fighting to keep his mouth straight and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a grin. I fought a smile at him, as he walked the short distance and disappeared inside the apartment building.

Rosalie and I sat chatting quietly, both of us deliberately avoiding mentioning anything connected with myself, Jacob or Nahuel. It only felt like a matter of minutes before Nahuel reappeared, carrying a brown leather duffel bag, a faint smile forming on his lips as he walked toward us. As he reached the car, Rosalie popped the release button for the trunk and he put his bag inside before slamming it shut. Rose climbed out of the car, pulling the lever that folded the driver's seat forward, to allow Nahuel to slide into the rear seat.

I shifted slightly in my seat and turned my head to look at him. His beautiful face was happy, mouth turned up slightly, and dark eyes shining as they looked back at me. He was breathtaking. I wasn't sure I could string a sentence together, but it was only polite to offer a greeting.

"Hi," I said quietly, unable to resist the smile that was playing on my lips now. His mouth widened into a grin as he leaned forward slightly.

"Hi Renesmee!" His eyes seemed to sparkle brighter as he spoke my name, and another shiver, like the ones I'd felt yesterday, whooshed through me. I managed to stay composed but looked quickly away, shifting back again to look out of the front windshield as Rosalie signalled and pulled back out onto the highway.

The next few hours passed pleasantly and quickly. The three of us fell into an easy chatter, laughing and swapping stories. The mood remained light and whenever I turned to Nahuel he was smiling at me, the happiness I'd noted when he first climbed into the car never leaving his face. I had mixed feelings about this. I was flattered and thrilled, but it also added to my ever-present fears. I recognised that he obviously had higher hopes than just friendship for the two of us; it was going to be difficult to spend the next few days getting acquainted with him without encouraging him further. Whilst I loved Jacob absolutely and had no intention of leaving him and embarking on anything other than friendship with Nahuel, such strong physical sensations of attraction were hard to ignore. Smiling across at Rosalie, I was immensely grateful that she would be around to make sure that things didn't get any more complicated while I got to know Nahuel.

**A/N – Please take a moment to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks as always to Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas. **

**This was a really quick update thanks to Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB and their super fast beta'ing :o)**

**I've set up a blog page as an easy way to display pics, etc for this story. Please see my profile for a link to the pics that I based Rosalie & Emmett's house on (imagine Rosalie's own take on the furnishings & décor though!)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 11**

**Renesmee PoV**

We drew up under a tree in Rosalie's driveway, next to a large dark SUV. Rose cut the engine and popped the lid of the trunk as we opened our doors and climbed out. We walked around to the back of the car to lift our bags out and then Rosalie slammed the trunk down again and led the way along the path that followed the edge of the lawn to the double door at the front of the house.

Rose pressed the door handle down and pushed the door open, calling out at little above her normal volume.

"Emmett? We're home." Her voice echoed slightly off the wooden floor and her heels clicked loudly as she walked down the hallway toward the living room which was set down two steps. The house was light, the neutral cream-colored walls in contrast to the dark wooden floor and keeping an airy feel, helped by the light that streamed through the floor to ceiling windows in the living room.

As we reached the top of the steps, my large, muscled uncle had just walked in through the door on the left that led onto the sheltered terrace outside. As he saw me, his handsome face broke into a huge grin, a deep dimple in each cheek.

"Hey, Ness!" he held his arms open and I dropped my bag on the floor, jumping deftly down the two steps and running toward him. He scooped me up in a big bear hug, my feet dangling above the ground as he crushed me against his chest with his huge arms. I squeezed back until he finally placed me down on the floor, kissing me on the cheek as he did so. His smile was still fixed firmly in place as we both turned to face Rose and Nahuel, still standing at the top of the steps watching us, both smiling. I cleared my throat to speak.

"Emmett, you remember Nahuel?" I gestured toward him and Emmett nodded his head.

"Of course, good to see you again, man." He stepped forward and Nahuel came down the steps, grasping the hand that Emmett held out to him and shaking it.

"You too, Emmett," Nahuel replied, before both men let their hands return to their sides. Rosalie bent to retrieve my bag from where I'd let it drop.

"I'll take your bag up to your room for you," she said, smiling kindly at me. "Nahuel, if you follow me I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." She gestured for him to follow her, as she walked across the raised area and started up the staircase. With a quick look back at me, he followed after her.

When they were out of sight, Emmett draped his arm casually around my shoulders and guided me through the open door, onto the terrace, and over to the railing that looked over the waterfront. We stopped and I leaned forward, resting against the top rail. I gazed out across the water, focusing on the few buildings on the other side and wondering what scenes were playing out over there in other people's lives.

Emmett stood close to me, playfully nudging my shoulder with the side of his arm and smiling at me when I looked up at him.

"So, I hear Jake's not too happy at the moment!"

I rolled my eyes at the understatement and scoffed.

"Erm, yeah Emmett, just a little." He looked back at me carefully, his mouth still smiling but the teasing sparkle now gone from his eyes. I bit my lower lip and turned back to the water. Emmett put his arm around my shoulder, squeezing me gently.

"Hey kid, it'll be ok. Jake'll come round, he's just worried about losing you."

I straightened up now and Emmett removed his arm as I turned to face him.

"Why the hell would he think he's going to lose me Emmett? You see? This is what's making me mad, he's behaving so irrationally! We've never been less than one hundred per cent committed to each other, ever." The feelings of frustration had risen again, and as they did my voice grew louder, my heart rate increased and I fought the rising tears. "I just wish I knew where all of these insecurities had come from!"

Emmett pulled me into him now, wrapping me up comfortingly in his large frame. I was standing there, enjoying the feeling of being totally cocooned, when I heard Rose and Nahuel talking as they made their way back. I pulled away from Emmett, not wanting to be seen needing any sort of comfort, but giving him a look that showed I was grateful for his concern and support.

Emmett and I moved across and sat down at the table that was on the terrace; Rosalie and Nahuel joined us a moment after. We chatted for a while, the conversation never slipping from light-hearted for more than a few seconds, mainly thanks to Emmett. He often tried to avoid the serious issues anyway, but I was certain that he was making an extra effort now to ensure that I didn't become upset again.

After a while the men's conversation turned to sports. As I listened disinterestedly, Rosalie suddenly gasped and brought her hand to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry; I completely forgot to think about food for you two!"

I was amused at how mortified she looked as she realised she'd forgotten such a simple thing. Emmett was chuckling too, when Nahuel smiled and spoke.

"It's fine Rosalie, I hunted this morning." As his words registered, we all froze, staring at him as an uncomfortable silence descended. It was the first time that I'd thought about the moment in front of the Volturi when Nahuel had told Aro that his diet was made up mainly of blood. Rose, Emmett and I looked at each other; all worrying about the potential implications if Nahuel had killed a human close to where my family and I lived. Suddenly Nahuel seemed to realise what he'd said that had caused such a reaction and he looked from one to another of us, speaking quickly. "Deer I mean, I hunted deer." I cocked my head to one side, looking at him curiously as I processed this new information. He shrugged, embarrassed at being the center of such intense attention. He looked down now, speaking more quietly. "I was intrigued the first time I visited by the way that you live, I decided to try it. I found that I can manage quite well on animal blood." A deep laugh began to rumble inside Emmett, until he threw back his head and guffawed loudly.

"Man, you had us going there! Did you see the girls' faces?" He laughed loudly again; it was infectious and gradually we all joined in, the hilarity building until Nahuel and I were wiping tears from our eyes. Eventually, our laughter subsided and we sat peacefully, smiles still in place on each of our faces. Nahuel caught my eye from the chair next to me and his smile grew a fraction wider. I suddenly realized that we had both unconsciously angled our bodies, my left arm and his right resting on the arms of the chairs we sat in, so that we were leaning toward each other.

I straightened up self-consciously, but not before I caught the look on Emmett's face that told me he'd noticed the look that had passed between us and the way our bodies had been mirroring each other. He glanced at Rose and she attempted to diffuse the edge of tension in the air by asking Nahuel if he ate much human food.

"More than I used to. My sisters and I have been trying to eat it more now that we're able to live among humans; it makes it easier if we conform to the same norms as they do. I still can't say that I particularly enjoy it though," he laughed before turning to me. "What about you Renesmee? Do you enjoy human food?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't mind it as much now as I used to. I still prefer blood and I'll hunt with my family sometimes, but usually it's just easier to fit in with Jake."

Emmett laughed again.

"Ness, the amount that Jake eats doesn't leave you time for hunting after you've finished cooking for him!" I laughed too, picturing Jake at mealtimes, devouring huge platefuls of food. Suddenly, I felt a pang at the image and wanted nothing more than to be at home with him. I wondered where he was and what was going through his mind. More than anything else, I felt angry that he kept running out on me when there was so much we needed to sort out. I knew we'd called a truce of sorts when I got home yesterday, but we hadn't actually discussed anything before he'd got upset and left me again. Nahuel's voice brought me back to the present as he began to speak.

"Well how about we go shopping for groceries, then when we get back I'll cook you some Mapuche food and you can cook something for me? We can try and convert each other." His face was playful as he challenged me and I couldn't help smiling.

"Ok, it's a deal," I agreed, turning to my aunt and uncle. "Would it be ok to borrow a car?" Rose's face changed quickly, becoming so panic-stricken at the thought of us taking her beloved sports car that Emmett quickly agreed to let us borrow his SUV.

********

I'd stayed with Rosalie and Emmett enough times to know my way to the nearest town. As I drove, I was aware of the close proximity between Nahuel and me, although I was glad that Rose hadn't offered to lend us her smaller car, as we'd have been considerably closer than we were now. Nahuel appeared incredibly relaxed, considering the events that had occurred since yesterday morning and the circumstances we now found ourselves in. He sat back in the seat as I drove; his knees bent and parted casually. His left hand rested lightly on his thigh and his right arm was draped across the window ledge on the door. He was easy to be with, his conversation light and often amusing, his body language warm and friendly.

I wondered if he was immune to the feelings that I experienced when we were together, if maybe it was one-sided on my part? I knew that there was no way I looked as relaxed as him; I couldn't possibly when my stomach lurched the way it did whenever he looked directly at me or nearly touched me. Still, the look in his eyes when they did meet mine, made me think that he was aware of something; they seemed bottomless.

We parked up on the street and made our way around the smaller stores. Nahuel was looking for a specific Chilean spice which we found eventually in the last store we visited, a well-stocked deli. We were laughing again when we reached the car and Nahuel dumped the bags he'd insisted on carrying, on the back seat. We climbed into the car and I turned the ignition key. The radio blared out and I started, as a song by Jake's favourite band came on; I realised I hadn't thought of him the whole time we'd been out. Guilt washed over me and I reached forward quickly, trying to tune the radio to a different station. As I did so I felt Nahuel watching me and I glanced up, meeting his gaze. It was possibly the first time all day that I'd looked at him and he hadn't been smiling; instead his eyes were serious, intense with emotion. I felt a burst of increasingly familiar stars shooting through me, and suppressed the shiver as best I could, quickly looking away, embarrassed. I managed to find a new radio station and increased the volume. It was loud enough to erase the possibility of conversation for the short drive back to the house, but I'd managed to trap myself alone in my head with my thoughts in the process.

**A/N – Please click review, I love to read your thoughts on the story.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks as always to Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas and **

**to Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB and their beta'ing :o)**

**I've set up a blog page as an easy way to display pics, etc for this story. Please see my profile for a link to the pics that I based Rosalie & Emmett's house on (imagine Rosalie's own take on the furnishings & décor though!)**

**Chapter 12**

**Nahuel PoV**

As we re-entered Rosalie and Emmett's house with the groceries, I still couldn't believe how the day had turned out. It was hard to believe that it was only this morning that I'd walked away from the Cullen house, feeling so disappointed that Renesmee had gone away. She walked ahead of me down the hallway now, turning left at the end before the living room steps and crossing the dining area, into the open plan kitchen. I watched her carefully as I followed behind. She moved confidently, but her head was lowered a little; her long bronze curls not moving against her back in quite the same way as I'd noticed they did when she held her head up.

Despite paying close attention, I was struggling to be sure exactly how Renesmee was feeling about everything that was happening. So far, we'd all avoided anything but the lightest topics of conversation, and while more serious conversation was inevitable before too long, it was something that I anticipated with dread, having seen the effect even the most benign comment or event could have on her.

I thought back to the most recent one: the song that had been playing on the radio when we'd climbed in the car to drive back to the house. I'd been looking at her, thinking yet again how dazzling she was when she smiled. Suddenly, music filled the car and she looked like she'd been slapped, her face changed so instantaneously that not a single trace of the smile I'd been admiring remained. As quickly as her expression had changed, her hand flew to the radio and she tried desperately to find another station. She looked up at me, as though she'd known I was looking at her. Her hair cascaded prettily around her face and her brown eyes seemed to be filled with a huge variety of different emotions, each one alone enough to justify the tears that appeared to threaten to spill from them at any second. She looked so beautifully vulnerable that I wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her; to place my lips on hers and kiss her worries away. As I was thinking this, her cheeks turned a delicate pink against her otherwise pale skin and she unconsciously bit her lower lip, looking swiftly back to the radio and increasing the volume as she finally retuned it. She ran her hand through her hair as she sat back, then never took her eyes from the road or spoke again as she pulled away and drove us back to the house.

********

As we reached the kitchen, I placed the bags down carefully on the island counter. Renesmee moved forward and started to pull the groceries from the bags as I walked slowly to the other side to give her more space. I guessed that she was deliberately avoiding my gaze as she lifted each item out, one at a time and stood them on the counter top. I watched her eyes flicker as she followed what she was doing, her long eyelashes appearing to brush her cheeks each time she blinked.

"Renesmee?" I spoke softly to avoid startling her. She raised her head only slightly, but lifted her eyes so she was looking out from underneath her lashes.

"Hmm?" She paused in what she was doing and watched me steadily.

"Are you ok?" I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the counter with my hands as I searched her eyes for the answer. I thought that her face crumpled slightly as I asked, but it returned to normal so quickly that I couldn't be sure if I'd imagined it or not. She thought for a moment and then in a short movement, shook her head from side to side, causing her curls to bob briefly. She looked down again and her shoulders sagged. The effect was so melancholy that, before I'd even had time to think what I was doing, I walked back around the counter. I put one hand on Rensemee's nearest shoulder and reached across in front of her, holding onto her other one and pulling her gently round into a hug. She didn't resist, instead she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me back, her face buried in my shoulder. The top of her head was level with my nose and I found it impossible not to turn my face into her hair, inhaling her delicious scent deeply. I'd wanted to hold her in my arms like this since yesterday and it was a relief now to finally do it, I just wished it didn't have to be because she was upset.

I rubbed her back gently with my hand for a while before I noticed that she was shivering.

"Are you cold?" I asked her, tightening my arms around her to pull her closer into me. She turned her head so that she could speak, but didn't lift it from my shoulder. Her voice was barely a whisper when she answered. "No."

It was my turn to shiver this time and her arms shifted slightly in response. "Are you?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No." A silence descended on us, not uncomfortable, but charged with some kind of tension. I savoured the feel of having her in my arms, the electricity the contact between our bodies caused, all but visible around us.

The sound of heels clicking on the wooden stairs interrupted the mood and we jumped apart. I instantly felt less vital with the loss of the galvanizing effect of her body against mine. Feelings of guilt lapped at the edges of my consciousness, despite the fact that we hadn't done anything wrong; all I'd done was offer comfort when she was upset. I knew how it would appear to somebody stumbling across us like this though, and Rosalie had made it clear this morning when she ran my car off the road that this was about getting to know Renesmee as a friend and nothing more. She'd explained that she wasn't bringing us both here as a match-making process and that she believed Renesmee and Jake were meant to be together. In her opinion, their disagreements over my being here would be sorted out soon enough, but in the meantime, they were going to help her by providing somewhere neutral for us to establish a friendship, because this was what Renesmee wanted.

I was just grateful that I was being given an opportunity to get to know Renesmee. The wolf had upset her, and if I had to I was willing to take advantage of this. He had her, if he couldn't hold onto her, then that was his problem. If I was able to win her over, there would be no chance that I'd ever upset her enough to let her doubt me.

"Hi." She smiled warmly as she came into view, seemingly unsurprised that we were both standing around some distance apart, doing nothing.

"Hi," we spoke together, sneaking a nervous glance at each other at the same time. Rosalie paused, obviously aware now of the odd atmosphere in the room. Renesmee turned quickly back to the bag she'd been unpacking before our embrace and began to empty it.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Rose was standing next to Renesmee now, looking over the food we'd bought, picking a packet up for a closer look and wrinkling her nose in distaste at the contents.

"Yeah, I think so." I smiled at her and she smiled back at me, placing her hand momentarily on Renesmee's shoulder before letting it slide down her arm as she turned and walked away, round the corner and down into the living room. The sound of her shoes faded and I assumed she'd gone outside. I looked across at Renesmee, who was dividing the groceries into hers and mine. She moved everything that she needed over onto the opposite counter, while I rearranged mine on the top next to where I stood.

"Are you ready?" she asked, a playful look on her face as she tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. I couldn't help smiling.

"I am," I confirmed. She smiled back at me.

"Cool, let's cook!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

We both began opening cupboards and drawers to find the equipment that we needed, working in a companionable silence. Soon, the only sounds were those made as we prepared and cooked the food; although we both often sneaked a glance across the kitchen, only to find the other looking back.

Eventually I had prepared my dish, the meat was coated with the spices and I just needed to add oil before it could be cooked in the oven. Renesmee was frying chicken on the stove, the oil bottle on the counter next to her. She had her back to me, but as I walked up behind her and reached around her for the oil, she suddenly turned. As we bumped into one another, her hand touched my chest and a shiver darted through me again, catching me by surprise. She looked equally as startled, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

I knew that she hadn't known I was there; I guessed she'd been turning to walk away, but my position meant that she was now trapped, pressed between me and the counter. Her eyes made a connection with mine and her pupils dilated slightly in her chocolate brown irises. My heart stuttered in my chest and I was frozen to the spot momentarily. I wasn't embarrassed as I'd heard her heart do the exact same thing; a thought which sent another thrill through me as I registered that she was feeling the same things that I was. I quickly collected my thoughts.

"I'm, uh, sorry…I was just getting the, uh, oil." I stepped to the side and reached down to pick the bottle of oil up. I held it up to show what my intention had been and offered a tight-lipped smile by way of an apology.

The tip of her tongue slid out of her mouth and licked her lower lip slowly, before she pulled it back in and bit her lip, a gesture that I'd come to realise she did when she was nervous.

"That's ok." She watched me as I took a couple of steps back toward where I'd been preparing the food, then she turned back to the chicken, picking up the tongs from the side to turn the pieces over, evidently having forgotten what she'd been about to do when she'd turned and we'd collided.

********

Some time later we sat at the dining table leaning back in our chairs, empty plates in front of us.

"I have to say Nahuel, that was possibly the best meal I have ever tasted." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, as far as human food goes that is," she laughed and I joined in.

"I enjoyed your cooking very much too. For human food that is," I teased. I sighed, happily and stretched my legs out. "You know, it's been a strange day, that's for sure." Opposite me Renesmee snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it! I could do without any more like it."

Her words stung. I sat and watched her while she fidgeted with a clean spoon, twisting it round in her fingers. Suddenly, she looked up and took in the expression on my face. She raised one hand quickly to her mouth.

"Oh! Nahuel, I'm sorry! I didn't mean…Oh shit. I mean…" she let out an exasperated sigh before taking a deep breath and waiting a moment; I assumed to collect her thoughts. She winced before she spoke again. "I only meant that I can't stand things being like this with Jake. I hate that I have no idea where he is or what he's doing. It hurts to even think about him right now because he's so unhappy and I know it's my fault." Her mouth turned down and her eyes were unbearably sad. I looked at her as she sat blaming herself over her boyfriend's possessiveness. My simmering anger at him for leaving her feeling like this was bubbling within me, only kept under control by the overwhelming effect her sadness had on me. I felt bad asking my next question but I was desperate to know. I leaned forward, my elbows on the table and my hands clasped in front of me.

"What happened with him when you left me yesterday?"

She gave a small, embarrassed smile and shook her head.

"I'd rather not tell you the details if that's ok?" There was no question in the statement as she spoke it, an apologetic look on her face. "He ran off again though." She stared at the table.

"Was it because of me?" I hardly dared to ask because I knew I'd feel so much worse if she confirmed what I knew; that I was responsible for the situation that was making her feel this way.

She smiled sadly. "Let's just say that it wasn't anything you'd actually _done_." Although she hadn't addressed my question directly, it was clear that the discussion was over. She rose from her seat, collected the plates and walked away from me into the kitchen, leaving me to reflect on the meaning of her response. Finally, unable to reach a conclusion I spent some time thinking that I'd never experienced such a range of strong emotions in such a short space of time. Ever since I'd had my first meeting with the fully-grown Renesmee, my heart had swooped into my stomach and back when we interacted, felt torn from my chest when I'd heard from her father that she'd gone away, nearly thudded from my body with happiness when we'd been reunited and was now literally aching from seeing her so upset. I sighed, wondering how much I could take, if this emotional rollercoaster were to continue at this rate.

**A/N - So what do you think to the direction that Nessie & Nahuel's relationship is taking? Are you rooting for Jake or wanting Nessie to resist the force of the imprinting and take a chance on Nahuel?**

.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks as always to Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas and **

**to Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB and their beta'ing :o)**

**Jake fans, grab the tissues, our boy is hurting :'o(.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 13**

**Jacob PoV**

I'd stayed in wolf form for a whole day; just long enough to calm myself down and make my way to Seth's place. This was different from when I lost Bella to Edward. This time I knew that I was at an advantage by having Ness already and that there was still a chance I could win, just as long as I kept fighting. Sitting back wasn't an option for me. I was in no position to decide that I wasn't going to pursue this, just as the moon couldn't suddenly decide not to orbit the earth any longer. Nessie was still the heart of my very being, drawing me back to her, despite my boiling anger and jealousy at what I'd seen in her dream. I couldn't do it on my own though. I knew, without question, that I had to speak to somebody about all the things that were spinning around inside my head, before I drove myself crazy.

I'd thought carefully while I was running, about whom to go to. I longed to head directly for the security of the house I grew up in; to seek out the comfort of the familiar surroundings, but I couldn't put my Dad through this. He worried enough about me as it was, without giving him reason to worry. I thought about Leah, but even after all this time, and seeing my relationship develop with Nessie, she was still pretty much anti-vampire, no matter who they were. I knew she wouldn't be able to hide her satisfaction at my being let down by Nessie, and I wasn't sure I could handle that right now.

I soon realised that Seth was the obvious choice. Not only had we grown to be great friends over the years, but he was also good friends with the Cullens. This assured me that he would think about the best course of action for everyone involved, and not pass any judgement.

I had to hand it to Seth; he'd done a great job of hiding any surprise when he'd answered his door, half asleep still, to find me standing naked on his porch. Since Leah had moved out and his mom had moved in with Bella's dad Charlie, Seth was living alone at the old Clearwater family home. He'd invited me in without question, pausing as I followed him down the hall, to slip quickly into his bedroom, emerging moments later with a pair of clean, cut off sweats that he tossed to me. I nodded my head in a gesture of appreciation and pulled them on.

"It's good to see you man, it's been too long," he said as he took a step toward me and reached out to clasp my right hand in his. I appreciated the sentiment and pulled him toward me roughly, thumping him on the back affectionately with my left hand. We broke apart and continued down the hall, to the kitchen.

Seth turned to face me and let his eyes briefly take in my unkempt appearance for a moment and then he spoke.

"Are you hungry?" I could tell that he already knew the answer to his question, even before I nodded my head. He pulled a pan out of a cupboard, poured some oil in and placed it on the stove to heat up while he cracked and beat the eggs in a bowl and poured them into the pan. Neither of us spoke while he prepared the food and then he put the overflowing plate down on the table in front of me. I began eating hungrily, the hours without food suddenly catching up with me. After a moment Seth broke the silence.

"I spoke to Edward earlier."

My chewing slowed and I looked up from the plate to Seth. He was leaning casually back against the counter, hands holding onto the edge of it and his legs crossed in front of him. His face was smooth and his eyes concerned as he watched me closely, gauging my reaction to his words. I shrugged, swallowing my food before I responded.

"I thought you didn't seem too surprised to see me here."

He smirked slightly. "You thought wrong, Jake. I assumed you'd run off again like you did when—" He cut off abruptly and I guessed he wondered if he'd said too much. "Well, you know." I winced at the memory, knowing exactly what he was talking about. When Bella had chosen Edward, I'd spent months living as a wolf, doing my best to bury everything that I was feeling deep down, beneath my primitive urges, finally giving in and returning for Bella and Edward's wedding.

Seth evidently had thought I'd done the same thing this time too, when he heard I'd taken off.

"It wouldn't have taken much to know for sure Seth, all you had to do was phase and it would all have been there on display in my head for you." I snorted lightly as I spoke, glaring at him.

"I'm well aware of that Jake. I'm also aware that you hate that we can hear each others' every thought. I knew you'd be broken; I didn't want to listen in. I wasn't feeling too optimistic, but I had hoped you'd turn up sooner rather than later. "

I felt bad then, I should have expected this from Seth, he'd always been a loyal friend.

"Aw, man," I said, regret evident in my voice as I winced and placed my knife and fork down on my plate. I sighed. "I'm sorry Seth; I'm just struggling with everything right now." I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face with my hands, before dropping them into my lap. "Maybe I should just head home, Ness will be worried about me. We should probably talk this over, see if we can find a solution."

Seth shifted slightly.

"Nessie isn't at home Jake; she's gone to stay with Rosalie and Emmett for a few days." As soon as his words registered, I felt an ache begin inside me at the thought of the physical distance between us. I hated being away from her anyway, but knowing she was further away than I'd thought made the sensations worse, if that was possible.

I needed to speak to her; the urge to get everything straightened out and to bring her back here to me, was suddenly vital. I stood up, scraping my chair back as I did so.

"Seth, could I use your phone?" His eyes met mine for a moment before he reached out his hand, picked it up from the counter next to him and tossed it to me. I caught it easily and dialled the familiar number. It rang out for a while before it cut to voicemail. At the sound of her voice, my insides tightened painfully and I turned my back to Seth, fighting to keep the agony from my face. I swallowed hard as I prepared myself to leave a message.

"Uh, Ness, it's me. I'm ok, I'm with Seth. He just told me you're at Rose's. Listen, I'm sorry about last night honey I—" My voice cracked as I struggled to get the words out. I swallowed, cleared my throat and tried again. "I, uh…" I spoke in a rush now. "I love you and I need you to come home so we can sort this shit out. I can't stand being away from you." I took a deep breath. "That's all. Call me. Love you." I pressed the button to end the call and then dropped my arms loosely to my sides. I let my head flop back toward the ceiling and exhaled loudly. I brought my head forward again and turned slowly back around. Seth was no longer there.

Feeling lost, I crossed to the sink. As I did so, I absentmindedly slipped the phone into my pocket. I grabbed a glass from the drainer, filled it from the faucet and gulped it back noisily, before I refilled it and carried it out of the kitchen. I wandered into the living room and found Seth, sitting on the old sofa watching TV. He glanced up at me as I entered and watched as I sank down in one of the armchairs. As I put my glass on the floor and stretched my legs out in front of me, I felt Seth's phone vibrate in my pocket, and a series of beeps indicated that a message had arrived. I leaned to the side and reached down to pull it out, glancing at the display and seeing that it was from Nessie. Sitting forward, I gestured with the phone so he'd know it was for me.

"Ness," I told him.

I opened the message nervously, wanting to read her words but afraid of what they might say.

**Need space to think. **

**Be home soon, Love you too N x**

I sighed and deleted the message before tossing the phone back to Seth. He looked at me questioningly, but didn't ask anything out loud.

"Well, she's not hurrying home." I flopped back and rested my arms along the arms of the chair, drumming my fingers on the worn leather, distractedly. Seth picked up the remote and clicked the TV off, angling his body on the sofa so he was facing me.

"You want to tell me your side of things, Jake?"

I considered his offer for a long moment, this was after all, what I'd come here for. Eventually I managed a half smile at my friend.

"I think I'm going to have to, I'm going to go crazy otherwise."

I leaned forward to pick up my water from the floor and took a sip. I placed it back down, got comfortable in the chair and told him the whole story up to the part where I freaked out at her dream and couldn't face going straight back to see her when she was having dreams like that about someone else.

Seth was a good listener; he didn't interrupt or pass any kind of judgement as I spilled my guts to him, which I was grateful for. Of course, he already knew much of what had been going on inside of my head for the past few years, so many parts of the story needed less explanation than they would have done, had I chose to speak to anybody outside of the pack, besides Edward of course.

"I can see why Nessie would want to get to know the guy, Jake. She _is _unique compared to everyone around her." Seth's body language was open, he gestured with his hands, keeping his palms facing upward as he spoke, showing that he was trying to get his point across, without intending to upset me. "Remember how Sam struggled when he was the first to change? You know how grateful we all were to have somebody else there for us, somebody who knew what it was like, when we first changed. Nessie has nobody else that really understands."

As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. I hadn't really thought of it that way before. I remembered back to when I'd first transformed into a wolf, how frightening it all was and, as Seth said, how thankful I'd been that I wasn't going through it alone, as Sam had. So much had been unknown to him, just as it was to Nessie I guessed.

I grimaced as I finally gave in and agreed with Seth, nodding at his words.

"I know, I know," I could hear my voice and it sounded anguished, even to my own ears. "If only it were that simple. I'd give her anything she wanted; anything, you know that Seth, but he wants more than just friendship and I'm terrified that I'm going to lose her." I leaned over onto my right elbow, bringing my hand up to my face and covering my eyes with it.

"Jake, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, imprinting's stronger than any of this shit."

My head snapped up.

"Then why's she dreaming about him like…that?"

Seth's expression was pained at my mention of the dream.

"Aw, come on Jake, she can't control what she dreams about. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. You must have had dreams about other girls." He raised his eyebrows at me and smiled. I looked away and when I spoke again my voice was quieter.

"Not since Ness. It's only been her for a long time now."

I leaned back in my chair, resting my head back. "You know what worries me about the legends?" I looked at Seth and he shook his head in answer. "What if they're outdated? I mean, they've all turned out to be true so far, the wolf stuff and the imprinting, but times have changed. Maybe the imprinting isn't necessarily enough any more. Society's different, women's roles are different, maybe just having somebody devoted to you isn't as attractive as it used to be, long term. Or maybe it's a vampire thing," I threw my hands up in the air now and my voice was growing louder and more desperate. "They're our enemy, right? What if the imprinting doesn't work the same for them as it does for everyone else?

"What if she wants more? If she _needs_ more? I already give her everything, my whole being," I gestured to myself. "I've nothing else I can offer her Seth, if this isn't enough."

Seth was sitting quietly, looking bewildered at my speech. Whatever he'd been expecting, I was sure that it hadn't been this; a complete loss of confidence in the very foundation of our people, our culture and our lives.

I lifted my head slightly and looked at him. My voice came out in a husky croak as the emotion built inside of me.

"I don't know what I'll do if I lose her. It was unbearable when I lost Bella, but this is so much…more." My eyes were searching his now, desperate for him to understand. "I can't even put it into words. I don't know how I could go on without her." I looked down at the faded green carpet, no longer able to meet Seth's gaze, as he watched me crumbling before him.

"What would happen to me Seth? What would the moon do if the earth exploded? Would it drift on the same path around a void forever? Would it drift away, or would it explode too? I've done nothing but try to figure it out and I just don't know. I'm scared, man; I'm really fucking scared."

Seth stirred then. I looked up and the movement caused the tears that had been welling in my eyes to spill over and run down my cheeks. My friend's anguish at seeing me like this was clearly visible on his face. He rose out of his seat and crossed the room, sinking down on the arm of the chair next to me and placing his arm around my shoulders. He made comforting noises while I finally let go of the walls I'd been holding around my worries. They came crashing down, releasing all the emotion like a dam bursting, flooding through my body and flowing out in the tears that now streamed down my face.

**Poor Jake, any advice for him?**


	14. Chapter 14

**There are pictures and links to accompany this chapter on the NS&SS blog (link on my profile page)**

**Thanks as always to my friends Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas. **

**Also to Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB for their beta'ing :o)**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 14**

**Nahuel PoV**

Sometime over the past few days, something had changed between Renesmee and me and we'd created a wonderful friendship. We laughed and joked a lot, sharing the same sense of humour; which had delighted me. We'd learned a lot about each other too. I answered questions about my homeland and the Mapuche culture, and Renesmee humoured me by answering question after question about her family and their history. I never tired of hearing about them, so many fascinating stories and characters, now brought together and living as they did.

I'd taken to calling Renesmee, 'Ayun', although it hadn't been a deliberate decision. Ayun was a Mapuche word meaning 'love'. It was made up of the concepts of beauty, light, and transparency. I hadn't consciously associated all of this with Renesmee previously, until one evening when we were sitting on the secluded pebble shore that separated the house from the water of the strait.

Renesmee had been questioning me about the Mapuche people and their culture. She had a remarkable memory and recalled Huilen telling the Volturi that my mother had named me Nahuel after the jaguar; the jungle cat. She asked me then what Mapuche word would describe her.

I looked at her, the evening sunlight bathing her pale skin in an orange glow, making it shimmer subtly. She was sitting cross-legged, picking up the pebbles absentmindedly and letting them drop back down, one by one, through her long, graceful fingers. Her head was tilted to one side, curls falling softly around her face as she awaited my answer; her warm, brown eyes relaxed and friendly, focused on my face.

It had taken only a moment to absorb this image of her. She had barely finished asking the question before I'd answered her.

"Ayun," I told her, aware as I said it how entirely right it was for her. She smiled and repeated it perfectly. I nodded to confirm she'd got it right.

"What does it mean?"

I panicked slightly, realizing that I couldn't tell her the precise meaning without it unsettling her and more than likely damaging the friendship we'd built.

"It means…beauty, light, and transparency," I told her hesitantly, waiting for her response.

"Transparency? You mean I'm easy to read?" She looked puzzled now and I couldn't help but smile at the way her brow had knitted together.

"No, no. Not transparency in _that _way. It's more about…" I searched for the right words. "Openness and growth." Her brow relaxed now, but she still appeared deep in thought. Eventually she nodded her head, appearing to have accepted the explanation I'd given her without further question.

Once I'd made the connection between Renesmee and 'ayun' in my mind, the two remained inseparable. Before the end of the evening, I'd called her it twice, only recognizing after I'd done it each time, when I caught the delighted look on her face. I was sure that this was as involuntary for her as my use of the word was for me.

We'd become closer physically too. No longer afraid to touch, we both indulged in contact with one another; a brush of the hand, a pat on the arm. There was never anything that would be obvious to anybody looking on; nothing that could be construed as more than friendship. For me though, there was more to it, and I was sure the same could be said for Renesmee too. Each time it happened, I felt it; not just on our skin, but as a current that surged through my body before dying away. I could tell that she felt it too; from the look deep in her eyes and the stutter I heard from her heart when it happened. Her reaction mirrored exactly how I was feeling, right down to the look of guilt that always passed briefly across her face immediately afterward. The difference was that hers was down to the wolf and mine was for putting her in a position that made her feel bad in this way. Still, it didn't stop either of us; the sensation was almost drug-like; so enthralling that we couldn't resist repeating it over and over.

I smiled now, thinking of the memories we'd built together while we'd been at Rosalie and Emmett's home. We'd spent some time all together, but mostly they'd left us to do our own thing. I wasn't naïve though, I was fully aware of how closely Rosalie was watching exactly what was going on between Renesmee and me.

Renesmee turned her head to me now as we walked along the shore, just a short distance from the house. She looked at me curiously as she noticed my face, her own mouth curving into a smile too. She tilted her head playfully.

"What are you smiling at?"

I smiled wider now, at being caught. I shrugged and looked away at a boat cutting through the water in the distance.

"I was just thinking how much I've enjoyed being here with you this week, Ayun." I sneaked a look back at her and was relieved to see that she was still smiling. I slowed slightly and became serious for a moment, feeling the need to explain myself further. "I mean, I'm sorry for coming and disrupting everything; for making things difficult for you with Jacob." She looked down now and I noticed she was biting her lower lip. I continued, needing to finish what I had started to say; hoping that she wouldn't be mad at me for it. "But honestly, it's been so good getting to know you that I can't say I regret coming to find you at all." She looked up at me again and I reached my hand out, my intention being to touch her lightly on her arm. She moved her own hand out and grasped mine; stopping as she did so and pulling me round so that I was in front of her. I looked down into her face. There was the slightest trace of a smile on her lips, but her eyes were intense as they looked into mine. She reached up with her free hand, still holding mine in her other one, and placed it on my cheek. I was surprised briefly. I knew all about her gift, but she'd never demonstrated it to me before.

As we stood there, the water lapping gently next to us, I closed my eyes while she showed me her version of the time we'd spent together. Although I'd been able to tell that she felt more or less the same as I did, I was still surprised at her memories. She showed me the times that our gazes had held and how it made her feel when I smiled at her. There were the jolts she experienced whenever we touched and there was an admission of how much she enjoyed it. I discovered we'd spent more time laughing than I'd realised and that she sneaked glances in my direction when I wasn't looking, much as I did with her. Then the images changed and I learned a lot more.

I saw that she thought about Jacob. A lot. I learned that despite this, she still felt guilty for not thinking about him more often. She wondered where he was and what he was doing and she wondered how much he was missing her. A lot of her time had been spent thinking about the sensations that she and I experienced when we had any sort of contact and wondering why she didn't have this sort of connection with Jacob. She was confused about some things, but she left me in no doubt that she loved him and that he loved her. This part in particular surprised me; he'd never shown me anything that indicated he thought of her as anything more than a possession. I felt a sudden pang of guilt for what I had done to both of them.

Finally, I saw the conflict as she battled in her head between the love she had for Jacob and the feelings she had for me. The very last thing she showed me was her decision. She needed to go home.

My heart sank in my chest, having seen what she'd just showed me, I knew it was the right thing for her to do. I felt her hand leave my face and I slowly opened my eyes. She was looking up at me, her pain clear to see in her eyes and the tears flowing freely down her face.

"I'm sorry Nahuel," she said, choking back a sob. "I've loved getting to know you; you have no idea how much I wish the circumstances could have been different. But I have to go home to Jake. You saw it there; you know I have to do this."

It broke my heart to see her like this, made worse by the fact that I'd put her in this situation in the first place. I pulled her to me and held her tight; trying to protect her, despite knowing that my arms were unable to shield her from the hurt inside her head.

"Sssh, Ayun, sssh," I attempted to soothe her as the sobs racked her body now. Her hands balled into fists around the fabric on the chest of my shirt and she buried her face in it, soaking the material with her tears.

It seemed to take an age, but eventually the sobs died away and she calmed down. She didn't move for a while, and then she gently pulled away, her face red and blotchy and her eyes swollen. I bent down slightly and lifted her chin gently with one hand, noticing that she had some strands of hair stuck to her face where it was wet with tears. Gently, I reached with the fingers of my other hand and pushed them back. We spent a long moment looking into each other's eyes until I bent forward and placed my lips on her cheek.

I moved my hand from underneath her chin and she lowered it slowly.

"Are you ok?" I asked her, my voice low. She sniffed and nodded. "Will you sit with me?" I gestured to the inclined strip of grass at the top of the shoreline where the pebbles ended. She turned her head to look and nodded again. I took her hand in a symbol of companionship and led her to the spot that I'd pointed out. I let go of her hand and we sat down side by side on the small slope. She looked exhausted so I shifted closer to her, putting my arm around her shoulders and pulling her into me, until her head rested on me. We sat like that for a long time without speaking. I listened to her steady breathing and gently moved the arm I had around her so that my hand was rubbing the top of her arm, comfortingly. The sensations were still there, sparking every so often and running through me, but I knew now that it wasn't fair on either of us to acknowledge them. Instead I fought hard to try and ignore them and, as far as I knew, Renesmee was doing the same. She spent most of the time completely still, her eyes fixed on some unknown point in the distance. Every so often she would sigh and move slightly, almost as though she was trying to get closer to me. I bent and kissed the top of her head.

"Ayun?"

"Hmm?" She sounded almost sleepy in her acknowledgement.

"I've got a gift that I'd like you to have, if you'll accept it?" She pushed herself slowly away from me, sitting up as I moved my arm from around her. I straightened my leg so I could reach into my pocket, pulling out a red and black woven pouch and handing it to her. She took it from me slowly, glancing up at me as she did, before she looked back down at the pouch in her hand, turning it over and examining it.

"Weaving is important to the Mapuche people," I explained to her. "There are many designs that the women weave into clothing and they all have meanings." I watched as she traced the snake-like pattern with her finger.

"What does this one mean?" she asked, looking up at me, her face having nearly returned to normal I noted, although her eyes were still puffy.

"These lines here," I leaned over and pointed to the pattern and she looked down at it. "They represent arms; they're supposed to look as though they're hugging. It means care and love." She raised her head again and offered me a small smile, which I returned. "Go ahead," I encouraged her, nudging her with my elbow. "Open it."

She unbuttoned the pouch and opened it, peering in to see what was inside. She looked up at me questioningly for a brief moment, before she carefully tipped it up and slipped the contents out onto her hand. I watched her eyes widen as she took in the silver jewellery that lay in her palm, and started to unfold it.

"It was my mother's…" I began. She shook her head slowly from side to side.

"No, Nahuel," she gasped, looking up at me again. "I couldn't possibly take this." She looked down and made to fold it up again. I reached out my hand and put it on hers to stop her.

"No, please, Ayun. I want you to have it." Her eyes met mine and I could see she was still unconvinced. "Really, I have more. The Mapuche love their silver." I smiled at her and she looked from me to the jewellery and back again.

"But…"

"I insist. I'll be offended if you refuse to take it." I removed my hand from hers slowly and she looked down at the piece again, a smile forming on her lips now as she started to straighten it out on her hand. "The pin on the back," I explained, watching as she turned it over to see, "is used to fasten a shawl together here," I touched the centre of my chest on my breastbone. I leaned forward and touched my finger to the small plate at the top of the piece, which was shaped like two birds, facing each other. "The birds, here, they represent the ngen, which are protective spirits." Renesmee passed her fingertip across the basic engraving on the smooth silver. I moved my hand down, past the three chains that linked the plate with the birds, to a trapezoid shaped plate lower down.

"This piece here represents the universe according to the Mapuche. The two corners at the top represent the sky and the bottom two the earth. There are two for each to represent the positive and the negative." She looked up at me and I got a thrill from the genuine interest in her eyes as I explained it to her. I smiled again and pointed to the engraving at the centre of the plate. "Here, where the four points meet, is where the Mapuche man is, at the center of the universe. Some say the idea can be extended further; to show the four seasons of nature, for example." I paused before I continued. "Renesmee, one of the reasons that I wanted to give you this is because I can see _us_ in there; right there, in the middle of the vampire and human worlds. Your parents, my aunt, they're all there, tucked neatly away on the edges, but you and me? We're right there in the middle, drifting somewhere between the two. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me when you agreed to see me, and now I've had the best few days; better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you. For everything."

Renesmee looked up once more and I saw a lone tear escape and trickle down her cheek.

"Thank you Nahuel," she whispered. "And I'm sorry. Sorry I can't be everything that you were looking for." I shook my head.

"No, you're much more than I'd even hoped for, Ayun. It's the circumstances that are wrong, not you." Her face crumpled then, although she managed to hold the tears back. She moved round, put her arms around me and hugged me. I hugged her back, doing my best to ignore the effects of her touch on my body. After a moment she pulled away slightly, still in my arms. She looked deep into my eyes and tilted her face upward, searching for clues as to how I was feeling, in my face. I swallowed as I realized what she was thinking of doing. Her face moved slowly toward mine as thoughts flashed rapidly through my mind and I tried to decide what to do. I battled in my head between what I wanted desperately to do and what I knew I should do.

Her lips touched mine once and she pulled back slightly, her eyes searching mine once again. As her mouth touched mine for the second time, it was me who pulled back.

"No," I told her gently, watching as a look of hurt flashed across her face. I spoke hurriedly to reassure her. "It's not that I don't want to, you know I do, more than anything, but this isn't right for you. You made your decision, you should go with it." I reached my hand out and cupped her cheek, stroking it with my thumb. "It was the right one for you." I looked at her for a moment until she nodded slightly in agreement, then I stood and pulled her up by the hand. "Come on," I said as she slipped the jewellery back in the pouch and put it in the pocket of her jeans. I draped my arm around her again. "Let's take you home."

**A/N: Well, well, did Nahuel surprise you there? Does this change how you feel about him from the previous chapters at all?**

**Please press review and let me know what you think :o)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks as always to my betas Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB and to my friends Nikki & Dani for their support & ideas.**

**Wait for the bar to lower and click into place people then hold on tight, it's going to be a rollercoaster of a chapter…**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 15**

**Jacob PoV**

I'd stayed at Seth's for the rest of the night. I was exhausted after the emotional release I'd been through, and when he offered me a bed for the night I'd accepted his offer without hesitation.

I'd expected to feel some embarrassment when I faced him the next morning. I'd laid myself bare to him, told him things that I hadn't revealed to anybody else, but surprisingly I didn't feel a trace of discomfort; things were just as they'd always been.

I stayed for a while, neither of us mentioning the situation that had brought me here last night. Eventually, I knew that I could put it off no longer. I sighed deeply and rose, scraping the kitchen chair loudly across the floor as I did so.

"I'd better be heading home, I guess." I took a step to the side, one hand on the back of the chair, and lifted it smoothly back into place under the table as I did so. I stood behind the chair for a moment, both hands resting on the back. I looked across at Seth, who was still sitting opposite where I stood.

"Seth. Thanks for last night, man. It really helped, you know…" I left the sentence unfinished, knowing that he'd understand what I'd left unsaid. He nodded.

"No problem, Jake. Anytime, you know that." He pushed himself up from his seat too. "I'll drive you." I welcomed the offer, still too tired to want to exert myself with a run home. I was also fearful of the intrusion into my head from the other members of the pack right now, not only because of what they'd hear in my head, but also because I wasn't sure that I could cope with anyone else's thoughts too.

********

It was the first time I'd been back to the house since I'd run out on Nessie. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, pushing it closed behind me. The silence was overwhelming. I'd been at home on my own before, but never had the house felt as completely empty as it did right now. I wandered through the building, pushing doors open and glancing into the rooms as I went. To say that I wasn't really sure what I was looking for would be a lie; it would be far more accurate to describe the fact that I knew I wouldn't find what I wanted to. I left our bedroom until last, standing outside for a moment before I nudged the door with my fingertips, just hard enough that it opened gradually. I was strangely torn, part of me not wanting to go into the room for fear of reliving what had happened there; another part wanting desperately to enter in an attempt to feel closer to her.

The door stood open now and I stood still, arms by my side, looking in. It was obvious that Ness had been the last one here; the bed was neatly made and there were no clothes on the floor. An out of place square of colour on my pillow drew my attention and I slowly entered the room, my curiosity piqued. I took a couple of steps and could see then that it was a note, written on piece of paper from the message pad that Nessie kept in the kitchen. The paper was folded in half with my name printed on it, in her handwriting. I bent to retrieve it and sank down on the edge of the bed before slowly unfolding it. I looked over the words and could hear her voice in my head, as if she were speaking them to me.

Jake,

I've gone to stay with Rose & Emmett for a few days to clear my head.

I'll call you when I'm coming home.

Miss you lots & love you more,

Nessie xx

I read it through at least three times before I refolded it, then shifting myself backward and swinging my legs up onto the bed, I lay down, trying to hold onto the feeling of comfort that reading her words brought me. I closed my eyes and thought about the past. I knew that my behaviour and jealousy over this whole situation appeared strange to Nessie. I also knew that it all had its roots in my relationship with Bella, before Ness was born. I'd loved and lost and I was terrified it was going to happen again. How could I explain this to Nessie though? I couldn't really expect her to accept the fact that I'd been in love with her mother before her, what kind of screwed up shit was that to be explaining to the love of your life? Worse still would be the fact that Bella had loved me too, even if it couldn't match what she felt for Edward. I couldn't even begin to imagine how Nessie could begin to accept such a revelation about the people closest to her. Would she accept it if we told her we all believed it was because of her pull, even from the beginning?

I puffed my cheeks out and exhaled slowly, opening my eyes and looking up at the ceiling. I rolled over onto Nessie's side of the bed and her favorite picture of the two of us together moved into my field of vision on her nightstand. I picked it up and studied it. It had been taken on First Beach at La Push. I was sitting on one of the washed up tree trunks that lay along the length of the beach and Ness was leaning back on me. We were both laughing at the camera, my arms wrapped around her and hers holding them there. I stroked my thumb across her face, wishing that she were here so I could do it for real and feel her soft skin beneath my hand. I set the frame back down and moved, so that my face was on Nessie's pillow. I inhaled deeply and her smell filled my lungs. The familiar scent had a profound effect on my body and I could feel the pain of the separation twisting inside of me. I languished for a while, letting the feeling of misery engulf me, giving in to it. Then, slowly, something inside me clicked into place and the black cloud that had been hovering over me began to slowly drift to one side. After a few more minutes, my head had cleared and I pushed myself back on the bed so that I was propped up on the headboard. There was no point in me pining in this way; it wasn't going to help anybody. If anything, I needed to be ready to fight for Nessie when she came home. It worried me that she was staying with Rosalie, if I was honest. She'd never hidden the fact that she wasn't my greatest fan. I knew that she only wanted Nessie to be happy, but if that happiness involved somebody else then I knew I couldn't rely on Rosalie to fight in my corner.

I pushed myself up off the bed now. I needed to be busy and the best way to take my mind off things was in the workshop. It was lucky that I didn't have any urgent jobs in at the minute and had my reputation to fall back on. I hadn't given work a second thought these past couple of days, ever since things had turned upside down with the appearance here of _his _sister. I headed for the shower, I needed to freshen up, regardless of how dirty I was about to get at work.

By the time I'd finished under the stream of water, I felt a whole lot better. I padded back to the bedroom and pulled some old work jeans and a T-shirt, both oil-stained and worn, from a drawer. On my way to the door, I paused at the key hook, my hand hovering over the car keys before I finally snatched the ones to my bike from the hook. Today was definitely a day for blowing the cobwebs from my head.

********

The next few days had passed a lot more easily once I'd thrown myself back into work. I'd had a backlog of people wanting me to take a look at their cars for them due to the couple of days that I'd been closed for. Thankfully, I was known for my reasonable prices and ability to do my job well and people had been prepared to wait for me. Finally, after several fifteen hour shifts, I'd caught up. I decided that I'd let myself finish early for a change and maybe ride over to see Seth again. He'd been worried enough about me to keep in near constant touch since he'd dropped me back at home the other day, and I wanted to show him that I was ok. The kid had a good heart and I didn't want to take advantage of it.

I was just wiping my hands on an old towel, when my phone rang. I took a couple of steps on my long legs and covered the space to where it sat on top of my tall tool chest. I glanced down at the display and my heart almost leapt out of my chest when I saw who was calling. I pressed the answer button quickly and brought the phone up to my ear.

"Ness!"

"Hey Jake," she answered. Her voice was smooth and I could hear the smile in it as she took in my exuberance. "How are you?"

I was grinning too now, just from hearing her speak.

"About a hundred times better for hearing your voice Ness," I told her.

She paused for a moment before she spoke again.

"I, uh, I mean, if it's ok with you, I'd like to come home." She was speaking more quietly now and I could see her in my mind's eye, nervously biting her lower lip as she waited for my reaction.

"Ok? You have to ask?" I laughed loudly and heard her giggle at me. "I'll come get you now, I was just finishing up at work---"

"NO!" Her raised voice was so sudden that it took me aback.

"Oh. Uh, ok." Her tone had brought me back to earth with a jolt. I heard her sigh.

"Sorry Jake, I just meant, there's no need. Rose & Emmett are going to run me back tomorrow and call in on everyone; it's been a while since Emmett visited. That's all." I nodded, despite it being a telephone conversation.

"No, don't worry, I understand." I was still pleased she was coming home, but I couldn't help feeling like a puppy that had been accidentally trodden on in it's excitement to greet its owner.

"Aw, Jake, please don't feel bad about it. I can't wait to get home and see you. I've missed you like crazy!" I brightened at her admission, a hint of a smile reappearing now.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Did you miss me?"

I snorted at the understatement.

"Ness, you have no idea just how much I've missed you. I've never been apart from you for so long and I never want to be again, it's been hell." The tone dipped again but I was determined not to end the conversation on a negative note. "I can't wait to see you honey. You make sure that Rosalie drives, she's faster than Emmett!"

Nessie laughed softly.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Love you."

"I love you too, Jake." My heart thudded when she said that, as it always did. She hung up before I did, unable to bring myself to press the button to end the call.

I couldn't believe how different I felt; how much better than I had just five minutes ago. It was as though my orbit had switched from an automatic one to one with a purpose again. I abandoned my plans to visit Seth tonight in favour of going home and enjoying being there again, knowing that Nessie would be back there with me very soon. I just had one thing I wanted to do first and, after a quick phone call to Carlisle for the address, on the premise of making amends, I was kick-starting my bike to life and on my way.

********

I'd double checked that I'd got the right place before I knocked at the door. After a few moments it opened and I faced an unfamiliar, although beautiful, woman. I could tell by her face that I was just as unfamiliar to her as she was to me. I spoke first, my voice strong, although my heart was hammering in my chest from the adrenaline of what I was doing.

"Hi. Is Nahuel in, please?" She looked steadily back at me with her brown eyes, her long, straight black hair cascading around her shoulders.

"Do you mind me asking who wants to know?" I smiled at her, covering my irritation at the delay. I just wanted to get this over and done with.

There was no way I was letting Nessie come home, knowing that _he _was still around. I'd come up with a plan. I was going to warn him off and send him home; pay him not to come back if I had to. I didn't have a lot of money, but it would be worth what I did have to see him leave for good.

"Yeah, uh, I'm a friend of the Cullens." There was still some scepticism in her face as she looked at me, obviously aware that I wasn't a vampire, although not appearing sure exactly what I was. Despite this, the Cullen name seemed to have the desired effect and she appeared to relax a little.

"Oh, well, no. I'm afraid he's not here. He's gone away for a few days." I sighed inwardly that my plan had been thwarted. This would be a whole lot more difficult to sort out once Nessie was back. I knew for a fact that there was no way in the world she'd approve of this.

"Do you have any idea when he'll be back?" She gave me an apologetic smile and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, no. He just said that he was going away with Renesmee for a few days to her aunt's house."

I froze.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, no, he didn't say when he'd be back."

"No, I mean the bit after that. Where did you say he'd gone?" She looked confused.

"To Renesmee's aunt's house with her?" She spoke it as a question, making sure she'd got the right information this time.

As my head whirred with what she'd told me and the implications of it, another female voice drifted out from behind the woman.

"Lican? Who is it?"

Another figure came into view and I found myself face to face with a woman that I recognised. I could tell that she recognised me too. Her eyes narrowed, but were apprehensive. She knew, of course, exactly what I was capable of as she'd seen me phase and attack before.

I turned and strode quickly away, hearing their voices babbling frantically together behind me as they watched me leave. I could feel my anger building now that the information had sunk in, and I was beginning to tremble. I broke into a run to where my bike was parked, controlling the shaking, because phasing wouldn't be helpful at

this moment…maybe later, I allowed myself to think. I kick-started the bike again, with more force than necessary and roared away, in the opposite direction to home.

My mouth curved into an aggressive snarl as I thought about what I'd like to do to him right now.

**A/N – Oh dear, the proverbial's going to hit the fan now…**

**Please review :o)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'd like to thank my fab betas, Whitlocked & Angelz1114577 as always, and my co-bloggers over at Twi-sted Edbrella, Nikki & Dani, for their suggestions, willing ears and encouragement.**

**All aboard! It's Nessie's turn to ride the rollercoaster!**

**Disclaimer**: **The characters & back story are owned by Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 16**

**Nessie PoV**

As Nahuel and I had made our way back along the shoreline, we'd spotted Emmett on board the small powerboat that he and Rose kept moored right next to the house. He waved as he saw us approaching and called out when we were close enough to hear.

"Hey!" he yelled. "You guys want to come for a ride?"

Nahuel looked down at me, his eyes hopeful. We hadn't really left the house much since we got here, and he was obviously eager to do something different. I shook my head and noticed the look of disappointment that crossed his face.

"But _you_ should," I said to him quickly, not wanting him to miss out. "You'd enjoy it, I know you would." He looked away at the boat and then down at me again, his face full of concern and I knew that he was torn. I smiled up at him in an attempt to reassure him. "Really, Nahuel, I'll be fine. I'm going to go and tell Rosalie that I want to go home."

I felt excited at the thought of it now; at being back in familiar surroundings – and familiar arms. I couldn't wait to tell Jake, he was going to be thrilled. Suddenly, in a stark contrast to my mental image of Jake, Nahuel's face fell further for a split second at the reminder.

"You're sure, Ayun?" He gestured to the boat, but was looking directly into my eyes. I could tell he still wasn't convinced that I would be ok.

"Yes!" I smiled and pushed him gently in the direction of the small jetty that extended out over the water. His face brightened a little and he smiled back at me, holding eye contact as he walked backward a couple of steps, before turning and heading for the boat. I watched as Emmett said something to him and pointed to the rope that moored the boat. He unwound it efficiently and tossed it to Emmett before he jumped aboard. Emmett turned the key, the engine roared noisily to life and they sped away, Nahuel waving to me as they disappeared into the distance.

I headed for the house, looking up to see Rosalie standing on the covered terrace, watching me. She smiled and waved down to me and I waved back. I climbed the few steps onto the lower deck, crossed it and then climbed the small staircase up to the terrace where Rose had settled onto one of the steamer chairs that faced the waterfront. Her eyes followed me as I walked over and sat down in the neighbouring chair. I lifted my legs up and stretched them out in front of me as I laid my arms on those of the chair. I rested my head back and then turned it to the side to face her. She looked a little shocked when she examined me at close proximity, although she quickly regained her composure and forced a thin smile. I could only assume that my face was still a mess from all the crying.

"Are you ok, Ness?"

I moved my head slightly in a nodding motion.

"Rose, I'm ready to go home. I need to see Jake."

"Ready to see him, or ready to forgive him?" she asked me. I laughed slightly and turned my head back toward the water.

"Really, what's to forgive? I can't blame him for running out when he saw Nahuel when he should have seen himself." I turned back to face Rose again and raised my eyebrows. "And we've got past the dream-spying before, more than once. Maybe he learned his lesson this time," I laughed.

"So everything should be back to normal between you two again?"

My smile faded, and I sighed. I slid my legs to the side and placed my feet on the floor, pushing myself off of the chair. I took a couple of steps over to the railings, then turned to face Rosalie, leaning back on the cool metal, my hands gripping the top rail on either side of my hips.

"I don't know, Rose. I want it to be, badly, but I'm not sure about this whole possessiveness thing that he's got going on right now." Rose looked at me with sympathy etched onto her flawless face.

"We belong _together_, I know that, but _I_ don't belong to _him_. I can't stand him acting so jealous, Rose. He's got no reason to and I hate it! The only thing that's going to make me leave him is his irrational fear that I will."

Rosalie was silent, looking lost in her own thoughts. A long moment passed before she spoke.

"Nessie," she began, tentatively. "Maybe he has his reasons for feeling the way he does."

I scoffed loudly as I looked over at Rose. She looked unhappy now.

"Oh, please. Rosalie, my Mom has known Jake forever, we know everything about him. Trust me; we'd know if there was something that had happened to him that was bad enough to make him act like this." I turned, unfairly exasperated with my aunt's suggestion. My eyes fixed on a point in the distance, but I wasn't really seeing anything.

We were both silent for a while. Rosalie was the first to break it.

"Things seem to have got off to a good start with Nahuel."

I wondered how much she'd picked up from watching us together this week, and felt a blush creeping slowly into my cheeks. I didn't turn; too embarrassed to look at Rose in case she recognised my discomfort.

"Uh, yeah. He's nice." I dipped my head, letting my hair fall forward.

"Nice?" Rose giggled softly. I looked up and allowed myself to smile.

"Ok," I relented. "He's more than nice." I became aware that the pitch of my voice had risen slightly and I sounded a little excited.

I suddenly remembered Nahuel's gift, still in my pocket. I reached in and pulled the pouch out.

"He gave me this." I passed the pouch across and she reached to take it from me, examining it closely before she opened it and pulled out the silver object that was inside.

I could tell that she was surprised by the gift by the way that she was looking at it and handling it. I patiently explained it to her, the things it represented and Nahuel's reasons for giving it to me. Eventually, Rose placed the jewellery back in the pouch and handed it back to me. I wrapped my fingers around it to take it from her, but she didn't let go. I raised my eyes to hers and she was looking at me seriously.

"Nessie, have things gone beyond friendship with Nahuel?"

A small, sad smile formed on my lips and I shook my head.

"No," I replied, my voice quiet. She released the pouch to me and I took it from her, keeping hold of it, rather than returning it to my pocket.

"You look regretful about that," she observed astutely. I stood awkwardly, looking down at my hands, where I turned the pouch over and over.

"Yeah, well, maybe in another lifetime," I sighed.

Rose got up form the chair and pulled me into an embrace against her cold, hard skin. I hugged her back.

"You're sure about your decision, honey?" she asked softly, her mouth close to my ear. I pulled away a little and her hands slid down, stopping to hold gently onto the tops of my arms. We stood facing each other.

"I love Jake," I told her, my voice thick with emotion. "Nahuel draws me to him in a way that I don't notice much of anything else that's going on, but I suddenly realised that there's part of me missing. Every day I've been apart from Jake, a bit more of me has worn away, Rose. I hadn't even realised that I was fraying until the hole appeared. I need to be back home with him." I stopped, trying to think of a way to explain. "It's like when your stomach grumbles. Then when you notice it, you're suddenly ravenous and you wonder how the hell you hadn't noticed the hunger building sooner."

A wistful look crossed my aunt's face at the human analogy, the closest example I'd been able to think of to explain how I was feeling. She nodded and a small, sympathetic smile touched her lips as I continued.

"The love that Jake and I have goes beyond any emotions I could describe. It's more natural - fundamental. The jolts I get from Nahuel, I thought when I felt them in the beginning that maybe that was something that Jake and I were lacking, but I realise now that it's just a different _type_ of relationship. This is bigger than feelings and desires; I can literally feel the pull back to Jake. It's like we're attached with an elastic cord that's been tightening, trying to pull us back together. There's something instinctual about being with Jake, something innate. It's just…." I exhaled, trying to think of more fantastic words to describe our relationship. I gave up; sometimes one simple word said more than ten elaborate ones. "Right. He completes me." I smiled. As I'd spoken the words aloud, it felt as though a warm, golden light had been seeping gently outwards from my chest to fill my whole body, continuing to spread out from my skin as I acknowledged to my aunt exactly what Jake and I had. I felt as though I were basking in it.

Rosalie looked at me, the expression on her face full of wonder. She took a hand from where it was still holding onto my arm and placed it to my cheek, not quite touching the skin. When she spoke, her voice was an awed whisper.

"Nessie, you're glowing. I can see it, it's…." she cut off, looking up and I could tell that she was checking to see if there was some sunlight that had impossibly penetrated the completely shaded terrace, to cause the strange effect on my skin. Finding nothing to support this theory, she looked back to me and I watched as the awe faded. It was replaced by a look of acceptance, as she allowed the idea that the strength of the feeling behind my words had caused the strange effect. She moved her hand slightly now so that it rested against my skin. Instead of her icy touch cooling my skin as it usually did, I felt my own glow warming hers.

I'd never seen my aunt like this before, she was usually unshakeable. I smiled wider, partly in amusement at Rose, and partly at the excitement of going home to see Jake.

"Rose, I need to go call Jake," I giggled, the euphoria threatening to bubble over into hysteria if I didn't break the tension quickly. She lifted her hand away and still speechless, she nodded. She was smiling happily at me; as always her own level of happiness was in a direct correlation with mine.

I stepped toward the French doors back into the house. "I'll call him from my room, and then I'm going to have a soak in the bathtub." The luxury was one I'd taken to indulging in daily since arriving at Rose's house, their bathtub was an extravagant extra her and Emmett had had installed when they bought the place. It was double sized with a Jacuzzi fitted, a far cry from the tub back home, which even I had a hard time stretching out in, let alone Jake with his long legs. The thought of Jake, naked and wet, was enough to propel me through the doors, fast enough that I didn't even hear Rose's response. I was already pulling my cell from my pocket before I'd even got to the bottom of the stairs.

I closed my bedroom door behind me, although I wasn't quite sure why. In a house with vampires and their exceptional hearing, very little was ever private.

I dropped onto the edge of the bed, the steady warmth of the glow on my skin managing to somehow keep me calm as I pressed the speed-dial for Jake. It had barely rung before he answered.

"Ness!" His pure joy at my call was embodied in his voice. I pictured the smile that I knew was plastered all over his face and I couldn't help smiling too.

"Hey Jake," I replied. "How are you?"

"About a hundred times better for hearing your voice, Ness," he told me. I smiled but then was suddenly unsure. His initial reaction to my call had been positive, but what if he didn't want me back after everything. "I, uh, I mean, if it's ok with you, I'd like to come home." I nibbled nervously on my lip as I waited for his response.

"Ok? You have to ask?" He laughed, a deep, husky laugh and I giggled as relief washed through me. "I'll come get you now, I was just finishing up at work---"

Panic had risen in me as he spoke. There was no way he could come here, he couldn't see Nahuel.

"NO!" I screeched, a kneejerk reaction to what he was suggesting.

"Oh. Uh, ok." He sounded wounded and I felt a pang of guilt. Maybe this wasn't all going to heal as simply as I'd naively thought. I sighed. Thinking quickly I tried backing up and soothing his hurt feelings.

"Sorry Jake, I just meant no, there's no need. Rose & Emmett are going to run me back tomorrow and call in on everyone; it's been a while since Emmett visited. That's all." He was silent for a moment before he responded.

"No, don't worry, I understand." I could still hear the hurt in his voice and I winced. I wondered how I managed to keep hurting him when I felt as strongly as I'd revealed to Rosalie earlier? Slowly, as I thought about it, the warmth crept slowly back through my body, flushing the cold regret and guilt out as it spread. I smiled again at the thought of reuniting with him.

"Aw, Jake, please don't feel bad about it. I can't wait to get home and see you. I've missed you like crazy!"

"Really?" I heard the hope in his voice.

"Uh-huh. Did you miss me?" He made a snorting sound.

"Ness, you have no idea just how much I've missed you. I've never been apart from you for so long and I never want to be again, it's been hell." His voice was tinged with sadness and I ached to hold him, to soothe it away. He spoke again, his voice a little brighter. "I can't wait to see you honey. You make sure that Rosalie drives, she's faster than Emmett!" I laughed quietly; he was right about my aunt.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Love you." My heart jumped in my chest when he said it, pushing an extra wave of the glow out as it did so, so that my skin felt even hotter than usual.

"I love you too, Jake."

I pressed the button to end the call and flopped back onto the bed, clutching my cell to my chest and sighing happily. This time tomorrow… I let a few thoughts run through my head on what our reunion might be like after all of the strong emotions and the physical separation. I thought carefully about what I'd like to do to Jake, and in turn, what I couldn't wait for him to do to me. My skin was growing hotter still when I forced myself to stop – if this carried on I was in danger of grabbing a set of keys and setting off for home right now. Not a bad idea, I mused, but not really fair to Nahuel. I smiled fondly as I thought of my new friend. Although I wasn't sure that telling Jake about the time I'd spent with Nahuel was a good idea, I was eager to continue my friendship with him. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to explain it to Jake though, and what worried me more was whether he'd be able to control his jealous side. I sighed as I pushed myself off the bed, grabbed my wash stuff and headed for the bathroom.

********

Back in my room I was feeling relaxed as I pulled on a clean pair of grey yoga pants and a t-shirt. I unravelled the towel that was piled up on top of my head and rubbed my hair, and then finally I pulled a wide-toothed comb through my wet curls. I'd been in the bath for close to an hour and a half, long enough to have had to top the hot water up more than once, and long enough to crave a drink, my throat was dry despite the steamy atmosphere in the bathroom.

I left my bedroom, leaving the door ajar as I was planning on coming straight back to dry my hair. As I passed the open bathroom door, I noticed that I'd forgotten to pull the plug out. I made a mental note to do it on my way back. My feet were silent on the thick carpet as I walked the length of the landing to the stairs. As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard Rosalie's muted voice and paused. I wasn't able to make out her words, but I could tell by the pattern of her speech that she was having a conversation. I couldn't hear anybody else speaking and was intrigued by the hushed tone of her voice; it was as though she was deliberately trying to avoid being overheard.

I tiptoed down the stairs, my bare feet making no sound on the smooth, solid wood of the staircase. As I rounded a bend, about four steps from the bottom, I caught a glimpse of Rosalie, her back to me as she stood in the kitchen, looking out of the window as she held her cell to her ear. I backed up a step quickly, pressing myself to the handrail on the left so she wouldn't see me if she turned. I was close enough to hear her clearly now, as she spoke into the handset.

"No. I know…listen to me, Edward…" My ears pricked as I heard her speak my father's name and a small feeling of unease began slowly uncoiling in my stomach. From how she was speaking it was obvious to me that they were disagreeing about something, and that he had a lot to say on the issue. She was silent, listening, for several moments. "We talked at length this afternoon," my eyes narrowed as I realised that they were discussing me. "Yes, I know all of that..." Rosalie sighed, a quiet, yet exasperated sound. "I know she loves him, it's obvious. When she was talking about him she was glowing, literally glowing, I've never seen anything like it before. But here's the thing Edward, Jake's screwing it up for himself with his goddamn insecurities. Yes…" She made further noises to show she was listening to whatever my father was saying to her. I relaxed a little, knowing that this was more about Jake than me, that Rose was just letting my parents know about my worries.

When Rose spoke again, her voice was quieter than before. "I'm sorry, but I don't agree…yes, well, I have my own opinion on that, I think….give me a moment Edward, I just want to check…" I heard her heels start to cross the wooden floor in my direction. I made an effort to stay silent as I softly ran back up the stairs, tucking myself around the corner at the top. Her footsteps stopped and I held my breath as she listened. After a moment, she was apparently satisfied and I heard her walk away again. I exhaled and was thankful that my heart rate hadn't increased enough to alert her to anything being amiss upstairs.

I crept back down again to my original position. Rose was speaking quietly back into the phone.

"Yeah, still in the bath. Yes…ok, enough Edward. I know my niece and I know how much this thing is affecting her. I mean it, the possessiveness might be understandable to us, but try and see it from Ness's point of view, she's dealing with all of this shit from Jake and as far as she's concerned it's irrational." I frowned as I tried to make sense of her words. I'd either misunderstood her words, or she'd just basically stated that everybody else knew the reasons behind Jake's jealousy issues.

"I don't care what you agreed Edward, this is going to be an ongoing problem if Ness isn't allowed to understand where it all stems from."

And with her next words, my world collapsed.

"You've got to tell her about Jake loving Bella."

**A/N – Uh-oh, Jake's on his way over because he found out about Nahuel, and now Nessie knows about Jake & Bella! Eeeek! ;o)**

**I love to read your reviews of the story, please take a moment to leave one :o)**


	17. Chapter 17

**As ever, thanks to my fab betas, Whitlocked & Angelz111457,**

**I can't believe how painless they have made this whole thing for me.**

**Also my co-bloggers over at Twi-sted Edbrella, Nikki & Dani, for their suggestions, willing ears and encouragement.**

**Thanks to everyone who continues to follow the story and review, it means a lot!**

**The past couple of chapters have been filled with revelations, what will the fall-out be? Read on and find out!**

**Disclaimer**: **The characters & back story are owned by Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 17**

**Nessie PoV**

My whole body sagged and I sank onto the nearest step. Blood rushed through my head, deafening me with the sound as my heart thudded furiously in my chest. I was unaware of anything other than these sensations and Rose's words echoing in my ears, until she appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a horrified look on her face and the phone held against her chest.

Rose's lips were moving now, but I had no idea what she was saying to me. I pulled myself up with my fingers that were still gripping the handrail, tightly enough to turn my knuckles white. Spinning quickly, I darted back up the stairs to my room. I could hear Rose following quickly behind me, but couldn't face speaking to her right now. I slammed the door behind me and hauled the chest of drawers from the wall next to the door, across to block it, silently thankful for my unnatural strength as I leaned back against the chest.

I knew that Rose could easily force her way in if she wanted to, but even as she knocked and pushed the door open an inch until it stopped, I knew that she would recognise my desire to be alone and respect it. I was right. She spoke a quick apology and reassurance, told me she'd be downstairs if I needed her and closed the door again.

Alone now, I realised that none of the physical reactions to the shock had eased. My heart still thumped, the blood still rushed in my ears, my breathing was laboured, and I felt numb as my memory replayed the last words I'd heard of the conversation over and over.

"Jake loved Bella."

I suddenly realised that I was facing the large mirror. I looked at myself. The glow I'd had earlier had certainly disappeared, my face was a pasty white colour; I'd never seen myself so sick-looking. Now that I'd paused, slowly my heart-rate lowered and the deafening sounds in my head faded to silence. Unfortunately, the numbness also subsided, and as it did, my heart felt as though it had cracked straight down the middle.

My lower lip began to tremble, then the tears began to flow from my eyes, slowly to begin with and then like rivers down my cheeks. My distress was quiet at first, but built rapidly until loud, gasping sobs escaped from my mouth.

I crossed to the bed and threw myself onto it, curling up into myself. My knees were pulled up, my elbows and forearms pressed tightly together in front of my chest and my hands covered my face. My body was holding itself tightly together, whilst on the inside, everything that I'd imagined was so secure and unbreakable, fell apart.

Bella. My mother. The man I thought was my soul mate had been in love with my own mother?

I felt my face contort further, twisting from upset into disgust. On top of everything else I felt stupid. How the hell had something so important passed me by? Obviously everybody else had known about it all along; not only that but they'd all kept it from me. I couldn't believe that not a single word of this had ever been mentioned, and it dawned on me that this probably wasn't just down to chance. They'd kept this from me, all of them. The anger surged through my body afresh every time I thought about it. I couldn't believe that everybody that I respected, nearly every single person that I cared about, had conspired to keep something so huge from me.

The range of emotions flashing through me now left me exhausted. Hurt, followed by disappointment, disbelief, then anger, fear and vulnerability, then it started over; there was no respite.

After some time, I felt removed from my body, almost as though I were hovering somewhere above myself. I was vaguely aware of the loud, ragged sound of deep sobs, but it no longer seemed connected to me. I felt vaguely dizzy and lightheaded, almost as though I were being rocked gently. Emotionally there was nothing anymore, just a strange numbness. It was different from the numb disbelief I'd experienced earlier when I knew I should be feeling something; this time there was just relief that I was no longer feeling anything.

I had no idea how long I stayed like that for, but after some time I felt myself being scooped up and shifted slightly. I forced my puffy eyes open and found my face only inches from Nahuel's. His eyes were uncomprehending and filled with worry as they took in my face.

"Ayun, what happened?" He spoke quickly and it was obvious he had no idea; either he hadn't run into Rose on his way up or she hadn't told him anything. I had no idea how it was possible that I was still crying after all this time, but the tears still flowed down my face. A sob escaped as I opened my mouth to speak. I reached up frantically and almost grabbed at his face as I placed my hand there. I was aware that he was the only person I had any sort of bond with, who I didn't feel some kind of betrayal from in all of this. I was eager to share my distress with him, hoping that by imparting what had happened, my feelings in the matter might be halved too.

I watched his face through the blur of tears, but his eyes never left mine. As I got to the part where I heard Rose says that Jake had loved Bella, his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. I slid my hand down from his cheek and clutched at his t-shirt, desperate for something to ground me. I felt him hug me tightly to him and in that instant, I was grateful that he'd made the long journey from the south, looking for me. To imagine what it would have been like to discover this without having a single person to turn to was awful. I had no idea what I'd have done.

Nahuel didn't say a word. I was unsure if he was too shocked by the information or too overwhelmed by how distraught I was.

Nahuel held me until the storm within me had passed, leaving me exhausted. His was just the presence I needed; he was quiet, not making any attempt to try and draw any words from me before I was ready, but offering enough hushed words of comfort to soothe me. I was uncertain how much time had passed, but by the time the worst of my tears had subsided, we were lying face to face on my bed, his arms still wrapped around me, loosely now. Every so often he would lift his hand and stroke it gently through my hair in a gesture of comfort and I would feel myself relax a little more. I'd kept a grip on his t-shirt throughout, needing to anchor myself to something; gradually though, I loosened my grip until my palm lay gently against his chest, my fingertips moving up and down in small, absent-minded movements.

"How did you know I was up here?" I asked, my voice a whisper thanks to my hoarse throat from the hours of crying.

"I could hear you when I got off the boat. Rose tried to stop me coming up but I pushed past her." He gently wiped a lone tear from my cheek with his thumb.

"She didn't tell you what was wrong?"

"I didn't wait to find out. I couldn't bear hearing you so upset."

A small, sad smile played on my lips at his confession. I turned my head to look back over my shoulder at the door. It was closed but the chest was pushed into the room, I'd been so wrapped up in my heart breaking that I hadn't heard him forcing his way in. I turned back to face him.

"Thank you," I whispered. His smile echoed my own.

"You're welcome, Ayun." He leaned forward and softly kissed my forehead. A sudden spark ignited as his lips touched my skin. I closed my eyes as the sensation travelled down through my body, making me shiver.

When I opened them again, Nahuel was gazing at me with an intensity that sent another lighter shiver through me. The atmosphere had changed perceptibly between us now; the attraction that we'd both been fighting caused the small space between us to almost crackle with electricity. Suddenly, I didn't want to fight it any longer. I'd been let down and lied to, by every other person that I cared about. Right now, all I wanted was to feel loved and wanted, and Nahuel was capable of giving me that.

I moved first, leaning my face toward his, slowly. He inhaled sharply as he realised what I was going to do.

"Ayun, I don't think—" I placed a finger on his lips, cutting him off, my eyes imploring as they looked into his.

"Please?" I edged closer to him, aware that I sounded as though I were begging, but I didn't care. He had the power to give me what I wanted right now, and I was going to do my best to get it. I looked at him and could plainly see the internal struggle in his eyes. I moved my finger from his mouth and replaced it with my lips. He didn't respond for a moment, but when he did, it was without any trace of hesitancy. Everything between us that we'd been working to suppress bubbled up and boiled over in that one kiss. Our lips moved hungrily together, parting to allow our tongues to entwine deliciously. The pain in my heart was forgotten and a whole different set of sensations affected my whole body. I became aware that I was letting out low moans as we kissed. I pulled back, breaking the contact our mouths had, took in the hungry look in Nahuel's eyes and was unable to resist, quickly moving forward to meet his lips again.

We were both reacting with urgency now and our hands began to explore each other. My fingers moved through Nahuel's hair, holding him close to me, and his hands cupped my face. My whole body was reacting to his touch. I was aware that my nipples had hardened as his arm brushed my breast, and it felt like a fire had caught between my legs. I pushed Nahuel onto his back and rolled over to straddle him, without breaking the kiss. He groaned loudly as I settled onto him, feeling his hardness straining inside his pants, only the layers of fabric between it and my increasingly wet centre. I gasped as I felt him pulse against me and couldn't resist grinding against him in an effort to relieve some of the desperate ache that I felt.

I sat up for a moment, my breath coming in gasps as I looked down at Nahuel lying beneath me, dishevelled and looking sexy as hell for it. He held onto my hips, then ran his hands up higher, slipping under my t-shirt and up over the skin of my waist. My whole body was tingling from his touch. I bent forward to kiss him again, the movement causing his cock to press against me in exactly the right place and we both groaned together. His hands were roaming all over my body now underneath my t-shirt. I lifted my mouth from his enough to allow me to peel my t-shirt off quickly, leaving just my bra on. Our mouths met again and he rolled me back over so that he was lying between my legs. He paused to remove his own t-shirt, the feel of his bare skin against mine causing me to cry out slightly with intense pleasure as he lowered himself back onto me, sending me deeper into the place where we were oblivious to everything but each other.

"Nessie." It was barely a whisper, but it was enough to break the spell. My eyes snapped open and my head whirled toward the open door. Jake stood there, his hand still on the handle as he took in the scene before him.

**A/N: Sorry Jake fans! **

**So was it what you expected? Inevitable from how Nessie has behaved so far or did you expect her to take the news in her stride more?**

**How would you urge Jake to react to this one? Poor boy :o(**


	18. Chapter 18

**You have my betas, Whitlocked & Angelz111457 to thank for the super quick update this time!**

**Also my co-bloggers over at Twi-sted Edbrella, Nikki & Dani, for their suggestions, willing ears and encouragement.**

**We finished the last chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger ;o)**

**What happened next? Read on!**

**Disclaimer**: **The characters & back story are owned by Stephenie Meyer, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 18**

**Jake PoV**

For the entire drive over to Rosalie & Emmett's house, I had been trying to hold myself together. My emotions were all over the place. One minute I was so angry that I couldn't wait to get there to tear Nahuel apart, the next I was fighting back tears as I thought about Nessie and what she was putting me through. All I'd ever lived for since the day she was born was to love her whole-heartedly. What the hell had I done to deserve this? Imprinting was supposed to make everything simpler; at least it had been for everybody else I'd ever known who'd imprinted.

I gripped the bike so hard that at one point I felt the metal move slightly under the rubber-grip handles. I tried to force myself to relax a little to try and relieve the headache that I was now suffering from. I wasn't sure if it was caused by the stress of the situation or my brow being furrowed while I searched for a satisfactory solution to all of this.

I knew that if it was anyone other than Nessie putting me through this, I'd be closing the door on it all without another moment's thought. If there was one thing that I hated it was deceit. Things had been tough with Bella, but at least she'd always been honest with me about her feelings for Edward. I'd never complained about it, but my life had never been easy from the time my mom died. First that, then my dad wound up in a wheelchair, the whole Bella & Edward thing, and finding out I was a shape-shifter. Nothing had gone right for me at all. Until the day that Nessie was born. Suddenly the whole world shifted and everything fell into place. The years since then had been a hell of a lot better; everything had been good since Nessie had been in my life. Finally the smile on my face had a good reason to be there.

As I turned into the long driveway to the house, the adrenaline surged and my heart rate picked up. As I parked my bike up, I noticed that the only cars here belonged to Rosalie & Emmett. My eyes narrowed as I wondered whether Nessie & _him_ were out or if they'd been brought here together. I guessed I was about to find out.

I let myself in through the front door; I was so pissed at everyone that I didn't care enough to ring the doorbell and wait. Rosalie was standing like a statue in the living room at the end of the hallway, her eyes already fixed on the door as I entered. Of course she'd have heard me arrive on my bike. My nose wrinkled; no matter how many times I visited, I still couldn't get used to the gross vampire smell.

Rose walked to meet me as I started along the hallway.

"Jake." Her voice was filled with relief as she spoke my name. "I don't know whether to hug you or hit you." She sounded sterner now, and the challenging expression that she regarded me with riled me.

"Careful Rosalie, I'm not having the same dilemma," I warned her as I put my hand on her upper arm and pushed her to one side. I stepped past her, my eyes scanning the space. I turned back to face Rosalie. "Where are they?" The longer I stood there, the angrier I became. My hands were in fists at my side and my whole body felt coiled and ready to strike, trembling slightly as I kept my instinct to phase under control.

Rose regarded me for a moment before she spoke.

"They're upstairs."

I took off toward the staircase and began to run up the stairs two at a time. Suddenly Rose called out after me.

"Jake! She knows."

I froze and then turned slowly.

"Knows what?" I asked quietly. My heart was hammering harder than ever now. From Rose's odd behaviour, I thought I could probably guess what she was talking about. I willed myself to be wrong; if Rosalie meant what I thought she meant, this was going to be bad.

"She knows about you and Bella."

Although I'd guessed as much, hearing her speak the words aloud still made me feel as though the breath had been knocked out of me. My eyes locked with Rosalie's and I could feel the terrified expression that had fixed itself on my face.

"No."

I was in denial. I'd often wondered what would happen if Ness ever found out that I'd once been in love with her mother. I'd never been able to settle on an answer to this, but I'd known it wouldn't be pretty.

"She heard me on the phone, Jake," Rose explained.

I shook my head as I tried to process everything. I needed to speak to her now, to try and at least explain this too her; I couldn't even begin to imagine how she'd be feeling about it. Rosalie was speaking again now, her voice angry. "I said all along it was wrong to keep this from her, she should have known from the start…" I could hear her voice but wasn't registering her words.

"Shit!" I spat out. My head was a lot clearer now and I turned again and started up the stairs again. I raced along to the bedroom that Nessie and I always shared when we stayed here. The door was closed and I paused to take a deep breath, my fingers wrapped around the handle as I prepared to confront the onslaught that I knew I was bound to face on the other side. In the quiet I heard something that made my heart stutter in my chest and a wave of cold feeling pass through my body. It was a quiet moan of ecstasy and I knew exactly whose lips it had slipped from. I slowly pressed down on the handle, not wanting to see what was on the other side of the door, but being driven on by some masochistic urge.

I pushed the door open silently and took in the scene before me. My vision blurred and all I could focus on was Nessie, lying virtually half naked, eyes closed and neck extended, while somebody else kissed it.

"Nessie," I whispered, not realising that I'd spoken out loud until her eyes opened and her head turned quickly to look at me. I watched as her eyes opened wide, then a look of panic, quickly followed by guilt crossed her face. She was trying frantically to move now, to sit up. My eyes focused again and I took in the scene fully. The person who had been kissing her neck was lying on top of her – it was _him_. I fought back the urge to phase, but rocked back slightly, ready to throw myself forward at him. Before I could move an inch, a steel ring clamped round me, pinning my arms to my side.

"Hey! Jake, man, calm it!" Emmett's voice was right next to my ear and I realised that it was his arms that were restraining me. I struggled against him, my eyes never leaving the bed where _he _had moved from on top of Nessie and pushed her back, behind him. He knelt on the bed, bare-chested, his brown skin covering well-defined muscles, while she retrieved her t-shirt and pulled it back on. He backed away across the bed, keeping Nessie tucked behind him until he was standing up at the other side. She held onto his arms for support as she peered around his body cautiously. I'd never seen her look scared of me before, and through my anger I felt a pang of guilt for making her feel this way. Nessie's appearance had shocked me enough to make me realise that I needed to calm down, when Rosalie strode in past me. She tossed a set of keys through the air and _his _hand reached up and snatched them from the air.

"Nahuel, go."

He shook his head defiantly, his eyes narrowed with disdain, as they remained fixed on mine.

"No," he snarled. "I'm not leaving her here with him like this."

The red hot anger surged forcefully through me again at his suggestion that I'd ever be a risk to Nessie. I started struggling against Emmett's iron grip, desperate to get hold of _him _and show him exactly what I was capable of.

"Rose!" Emmett gasped. "I can't hold him much longer!"

Rosalie turned, her eyes wide as she registered the fact that the anger-induced adrenaline surging through my body had given me enough extra power to match Emmett's incredible strength. She spun quickly back to Nahuel and spoke again, her voice urgent and stern.

"We wouldn't let him hurt her, Nahuel, but if you don't leave now and give him chance to calm down, we might not be able to keep her safe."

He eyed me angrily for a moment longer, and then he pulled Nessie around from behind him, to his side. He bent and whispered something to her and she looked up at him and nodded. I watched as he bent and kissed the top of her head. My head felt like it might explode with the rage that I was desperate to vent. I began to tremble violently, as the urge to phase into a wolf began to break through all of the carefully constructed barriers of control that I'd worked on over the years. I tried to focus but everything was becoming blurry.

"Rose!" Emmett yelled frantically.

Suddenly, something as hard as granite smashed into my face, causing my head to fly back. My eyes closed and my brain was spinning with disorientation as I slumped in Emmett's tight grasp. He loosened his arms and I dropped to the ground in a sitting position, my hand automatically coming up to my agonizing and undoubtedly broken, jaw.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes gingerly, still wincing at the pain. Nessie was crouched next to me, her hand on me and her beautiful face filled with worry.

"Jake, are you ok?"

I was still in shock from the impact.

"What the hell..?"

I looked up to see Rosalie watching me, a tight-lipped, apologetic smile on her lips. "Sorry, Jake, I had to do that."

I scowled up at her as she shrugged and continued. "We've only just decorated in here. I didn't want the place to be torn apart by some overgrown mutt." She smirked and I considered briefly how satisfying it would be to phase now and wipe the look from her face.

My head had finally stopped spinning long enough for me to look around the room. _He_'d gone of course; the door onto the balcony stood wide open. All of the anger had left my body; almost as though Rosalie's punch had knocked it clean out of me. When my eyes met Nessie's again, something within me shifted and almost clicked back into place. Only almost, because as she looked at me and realised I'd recover from Rosalie's assault, something in her expression changed. Her face was the same, but somewhere behind her gaze, something was a little off somehow. She withdrew her hand, rose to her feet and backed off, then walked over to the open door and stood looking out into the darkness. I looked up at Rosalie. She looked at Ness, then at me and reached out for Emmett's hand and pulling him toward the door. Without looking back at us they both left the room and pulled the door shut behind them.

**A/N: Ooh, what's going to happen now?!**

**If you want a break from the angst for some Christmas fun, citrus style, check out my other story I've added on here, Jingle Balls! **

**What would I like for Christmas? A nice big pile of reviews stacked under the tree! **


	19. Chapter 19

**I hope everyone had a good Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Thanks for taking the time to read my story and also for the reviews, they make my day!**

**Thanks as ever to my friends & betas, I really appreciate all your help with this :o).**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter, what will happen between Jake and Nessie now?!**

**Chapter 19**

**Nessie PoV**

I blinked twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things as Jake stood in the doorway. I suddenly remembered the compromising position that I was in with Nahuel, and was instantly filled with guilt that Jake had seen us like this. I scrabbled to push Nahuel off of me, and he had just sat up when I saw a look of anger wash over Jake's face. His lip was curled and his eyes were narrowed; his body was trembling violently as he tensed, ready to fight. Just as I was sure that he was going to come at us, Emmett appeared in the doorway behind him and wrapped his arms around Jake so he couldn't move.

"Hey! Jake, man, calm it!" Emmett said to Jake as he tried to escape my uncle's vice-like hold.

Nahuel's eyes never left Jake as he pushed me behind him on the bed. I spotted my t-shirt and grabbed it, pulling it on. I'd never seen Jake look so threatening in my life, let alone in my direction. I was terrified; even though I knew he'd never hurt me. I looked around Nahuel's body at Jake and saw a look of unease pass over his face as his aggression appeared to lessen slightly.

Rose walked purposefully through the door then and threw a set of keys at Nahuel who caught them mid-air.

"Nahuel, go," she said.

He shook his head and my heart sank as I knew this would only make things worse.

"No," he snarled. "I'm not leaving her here with him like this."

Jake looked wild again at his comment, and he began to struggle against Emmett's arms.

"Rose!" Emmett had gasped. "I can't hold him much longer!"

Rosalie took in the scene before turning back to Nahuel.

"We wouldn't let him hurt her, Nahuel, but if you don't leave now and give him a chance to calm down, we might not be able to keep her safe."

He reached behind him and pulled me to his side. He'd stopped long enough to tell me that he was going to head back to his sisters and would see me soon, and then he'd kissed me on top of my head. Several things happened then at the same time. Jake flew into a wild rage that Emmett was struggling to contain so Rose punched him in the face, stunning him. This stopped him phasing and potentially hurting us all, and gave Nahuel the opportunity to slip quickly out of the open doors and onto the balcony, where he was able to cut back through the other bedroom and go downstairs to leave the house.

I turned back from watching him leave, to see Jake's slumped and dazed form on the floor. I crossed quickly over to him and crouched down, my hand on his shoulder. He didn't look too good and from the sound Rose's fist had made when it hit his face, I was more than a little worried.

"Jake, are you ok?" I asked him. He looked as though he was still having difficulty focusing his eyes.

"What the hell..?"

"Sorry, Jake, I had to do that," Rosalie told him, smirking. "We've only just decorated in here. I didn't want the place being torn apart by some overgrown mutt." Jake looked at her in disgust.

I surveyed the damage to Jake's face and realised that although it had looked impressive, the damage caused by Rosalie's heavy punch was fairly superficial and would heal quickly. I looked into the face that I had missed so much and wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms and allow myself to drown in the depths of his deep brown eyes. I felt the strong pull between his heart and mine and was about to succumb to the magnetic pull between the two of them when suddenly, instead of myself, I saw my mother's face reflected back at me in his eyes. I blinked quickly and saw that it had been a cruel trick of my imagination; the face I saw there now was my own, but it was enough to serve as a reminder of the painful revelation I had been subject to earlier.

Being so close to him with these conflicting feelings was too much for me. I pulled my hand back and stood, taking a couple of steps back before I turned and crossed to the open door. I heard the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway. Nahuel. When he'd finally given in to Rose's pleas for him to leave, I was relieved beyond measure. Jake was so mad that I couldn't see any way that Nahuel would have escaped unscathed. I could see in his eyes that he didn't like leaving me here like this, but he knew he had no option; Rose had been right, if he'd stayed we'd all have been at risk of getting hurt when Jake inevitably phased.

I heard the door click closed softly and turned to see that Rose and Emmett had tactfully left Jake and me alone. I looked down at Jake. He was still sitting on the floor, but was now leaning back against the chest of drawers that stood awkwardly in the middle of the space between the bed and the door. He rested his head back against the chest, keeping his eyes on me. I couldn't help noticing that the usual warmth in them had been replaced by something decidedly icier.

"Well, I guess now I know why you were so quick to tell me not to come over earlier." The muscles in his jaw twitched as he sat waiting for my response. I looked on in disbelief; surely he wasn't going to take the moral high-ground with me? Not when he'd been in love with my own mother and never thought it worth mentioning?

I felt the anger building, spreading out through my body. Jake was still looking at me as though I were the only villain in all of this. A growl rose in my throat.

"Goddamn it Jake, she's my mother!"

With lightning speed, I reached for a vase of freesias on the small table next to the door. With all my strength, I sent it whistling through the room toward him, water and petals flying everywhere as the heavy scent of the flowers filled the room. He reached up and snatched it from the air a split second before it hit him. He turned his head off to the side in exasperation and let out an angry sigh before he turned back to look at me and fixed a gaze loaded with annoyance on his face.

"Nessie, you weren't even born!"

I stepped back, unbelieving that he would think that made it ok.

"Shit, Jake! That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt like hell…"

"And what would you know about hurt, Nessie? I've just found out that you've been holed up here for days with _him_," Jake's face wrinkled with disgust as he spat the word out. "Then I walk in to find the two of you half naked and all over each other on the bed." He gestured violently toward the bed with one hand as his voice increased in volume so he was practically yelling. "How do you think that rates on the hurt scale?!"

"He's the only one that hasn't let me down Jake. Everybody else has been keeping a secret big enough to make my whole world collapse around me! Imagine how that makes me feel."

Jake's eyes were still cold toward me but the anger in them was clearly replaced by hurt now and his voice when he spoke again was quiet.

"I think I know that feeling, Renesmee."

My breath caught at his words. His use of my full name stung, and I knew then exactly how deep the damage inflicted by this whole situation had gone. I'd never heard him use my full name, ever. As I looked down at him on the floor, I felt a pang of guilt twist in my stomach the first time since I'd overheard Rose. It absorbed much of my anger before I spoke again, my tone now lowered to match his.

"No." I shook my head. "Nobody knew we were here, only Rose & Emmett. It was Rose's idea to come here."

Jake quickly blew out a puff of air and rolled his eyes.

"Blondie. I should have known. She's always hated me."

The anger flared in me again.

"Rosalie does _not _hate you Jake! She respected my decision to want to get to know Nahuel better…"

Jake threw his head back and an almost hysterical laugh filled the room.

"Well, Renesmee, you certainly got your own way on that one didn't you? You couldn't have got to know him all that much better than you did really." The laughter died away abruptly and Jake's eyes were serious again. "Unless, I hadn't walked in when I did of course. Or was that a repeat performance?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"No! And that wasn't what I came here for, Jake, to start some affair with a virtual stranger." I was hurt that he even entertained the thought that I'd do such a thing.

He scoffed loudly.

"Oh, don't tell me, 'shit happens' right?"

"Well, apparently yes, it does. Like, suddenly you can discover that your boyfriend was in love with your mother and nobody thought it worth mentioning." I turned my back on him and closed my eyes, trying to pretend that this was all a bad dream. It worked until Jake spoke again.

"It was all a long time ago, how many times do I have to say it?"

I spun around, my eyes open now, and watery despite my anger. My voice was starting to shake as I spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry for not smiling and acting like it's fine, but it's not! It's seriously fucked up! Did you really all think you could just not tell me and I'd never find out?"

"We were only trying to protect you."

I was sick of this from them all, the endless over-protectiveness.

"I. Don't. Need. Protecting from everything!" I huffed loudly, throwing my hands in the air. "You know, a little honesty can go a long way sometimes."

"Ha!" Jake was laughing again, a bitter-sweet sound with the backdrop of hurt on his face. "Would you listen to Miss Morals over there?!" He shook his head and looked down at the ground, still smirking through his pain. "You are unreal."

I'd had enough of the snarking now. Today had been hard enough without having to go through this now as well.

"I don't have to listen to this." I turned again and walked toward the open door that led onto the balcony.

"Yes, you do." I stopped and looked back; Jake was on his feet now. "We have to sort this out and I'm not waiting for the right time because there will never be one. We do it now."

"No, we don't," I stated steadily.

Jake rolled his eyes and touched his fingers to his forehead, then pulled them quickly away again in exasperation.

"God, you're just as stubborn as your Mom."

I flew around now, my fury re-ignited by his mention of her.

"Don't you dare compare me to my mother!" I said, my voice full of the anger I felt.

A determined look fixed itself on Jake's face and he took a step closer to me, speaking quietly.

"No, you're right; I shouldn't compare you with Bella, because she can't hold a light to you, as far as I'm concerned."

I didn't doubt him, I knew how imprinting worked, but I couldn't get rid of the nagging in my head about him and my mother. I folded my arms defensively in front of me.

"So Jake, why me? You loved my Mom so what happened to _her_?" I could hear the almost-vicious tone in my voice as I spoke, but was unable to reign it in. A pained look crossed Jake's face and I instinctively knew that I wasn't going to like his answer.

"Nessie, don't—"

"Why not? It's a simple enough question isn't it?" I was determined to make him answer.

"I just….please." He shook his head and looked at me, his verbal plea reflected in his face.

"So you've seen the damage that keeping this from me has caused and yet you still refuse to tell me?"

"If you think it's because I feel like the loser in this, Nessie, then you're wrong. I'm glad Bella married Edward, because if she hadn't then there'd have been no you. No _us_."

"And is there still an _us, _Jake? You still think it all happened the way you wanted it to? Because this sure as hell wasn't in my future plans."

"Whatever happens from here on in Ness, I don't regret a second of what we had. The years we had together, they were worth it; worth any suffering that you throw at me now."

I winced at the thought of Jake suffering. That had never been my intention; I'd merely been following my heart instead of my head, acting selfishly and impulsively. There was still an unanswered question lying heavily between us.

"My Mom?"

He swallowed deeply and hung his head, before raising it again and meeting my eyes.

"We were in her life at the same time. She chose your Dad."

"Right." I nodded. I was quiet for a moment, absorbing his words. "It all makes sense now. The jealousy, the possessiveness; all the things I couldn't understand when I'd never given you any reason to doubt me."

An astonished look formed on his face as he jabbed a finger at his own chest.

"You're blaming _me _for this mess?" His lower jaw jutted out defiantly. "I loved you enough to stand up and fight for us, Nessie, what did _you_ do?"

I cringed. He was right, of course. What _had_ I done? I hung my head.

"I fought for her Ness and I lost. I lost her and it just about killed me. You've heard me talk about the months I spent living as a wolf? That was why. I couldn't deal with it."

"So, if it weren't for my Dad, then you and her…" I stopped, unable to speak the words. Jake shrugged.

"What does it matter Nessie? The fact is that she married your Dad and then you were born. I couldn't ever have been happier than I have been with you. You don't need me to tell you this Nessie, you know it."

He looked up at me and when he took in my unmoved expression he gasped in frustration. "You know, sometimes I really wish I had your gift so I could prove to you that I mean what I'm saying. You want to hear the biggest part for me? The moment you were born, every ounce of the pull I'd felt toward Bella disappeared. Gone, just like that. It was you. It's always been you, Ness."

I took in his words in amazement. Was imprinting really strong enough to work before a person was born? Even if I believed what he was telling me, did it change how I felt about the situation? I wasn't sure. Right now, my head was whirling so fast that it was difficult to pick the individual trains of thought out: Jake and my Mom; being kept in the dark; being here with Nahuel, taking things too far and then – I shuddered at the memory – Jake walking in and seeing us.

I regretted my impulsive reaction to the news about Jake and my Mom. I should never have let things go that far with Nahuel, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was a mistake.

I sank to the floor, completely drained. My knees were bent to the side; my hand supported my head and covered my face.

"I can't sort through all of this now Jake, I just can't. What have I done? What a mess."

The tears came again then. And these were tears for Jake. Tears of guilt and of remorse for what I'd put him through. I realised that I could hardly stay angry at him for things that had happened before I was even born, and it was obvious that none of those feelings for my Mom remained or my Dad would have picked up on them. Was I willing to throw everything away because those closest to me had decided to keep it from me? They'd had my best interests at heart and perhaps, looking at how I _had _reacted to the news, it had been the right decision all along. I also questioned whether I was going to treat everybody else the same way as Jake in this when I made a decision. Was I willing to cut my mother out of my life too? He was no more to blame in this than anybody else, why should he be the one to be punished? I'd punished him enough with my behaviour up to now.

It horrified me now to think of the childish way that I'd reacted to this. I felt bad for Nahuel too; I'd exploited his feelings for me to try and make myself feel better. He was going to end up another casualty of this mess I'd created for myself.

I raised my head and looked out through watery eyes to see Jake watching me as though he were in physical pain at the sight of me like this. I wasn't sure that I could cope with much more tonight.

"Do we really have to do this now Jake? We have forever," I said, my voice almost pleading.

"I don't want forever without you, Nessie."

I stopped crying at his words and confusion flooded my head as I questioned exactly what he was threatening.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a whisper.

"Nessie, I could probably manage a miserable fifty, or sixty years on this earth without you, but I refuse to suffer forever. If you want to turn me away, that's your choice. I won't like it, but I'll respect your decision. It'll be a final decision though, so decide carefully. I won't hang around waiting to see if you change your mind. I can't do that Nessie, it'd kill me. You say no and I'll go, start a life somewhere away from you. I'll stop phasing and I'll age. I'll be normal."

I gaped at him, unable to believe what he was saying. I ran my hand through my hair, nervously.

"You're asking me to decide whether to end your life Jake," I stated. He swallowed hard, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat. His voice was low and husky with emotion.

"Ness, you _are _my life. Without you it's all meaningless." As he gazed at me, watching his words sink in, I had one question.

"Jake, can you ever forgive me for all of this?" I whispered. A smile crept across his mouth and his eyes appeared resigned as he shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Ness, I don't have a choice. I don't want to live without you. C'mere." He gestured for me to come to him with a flick of his head.

It felt like a lifetime since I'd last been wrapped in his arms. I got to my feet and gave in, at last, to the pull of the invisible elastic that felt as though it connected our souls. Every step closer to him I took felt like a relief, as the tension of the pull reduced perceptibly. I was still a couple of paces away when he stepped forward to meet me, his arms reaching out. I prepared for the familiar and comfortable feel of his embrace, but as his hands touched my arms to pull me into him, I felt a spark that ignited and shot through my body with a force like nothing I'd ever felt before. My stomach did a violent flip and I shuddered with ecstasy as it faded away.

"Holy crap!" Jake exclaimed as his own body trembled before becoming still. "What the hell was that?"

I hugged him hard, feeling as though I'd finally made it home. As he hugged me back and I stood with my cheek pressed to his chest, I felt the glow that I'd had this afternoon returning and my mouth pulled up into a wide smile.

"Shooting star," I whispered, and felt Jake's chest shake slightly as he laughed quietly and contentedly.

I knew we had a long way to go, but we were both back in orbit now.

**Ooh, a reunion! I know some of you are anti-Nessie, were you hoping Jake wouldn't go with the reunion?**

**Please leave a review and let me know!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks as ever to my friends who read through my chapters and offer me encouragement, and also to my beta's Whitlocked & Angelz1114577.**

**Ok, this is the last of my stock-piled chapters, I'm writing as we go now, the pressure's on! This is where I'll need your reviews to keep me going!**

**Chapter 20**

**Jacob PoV**

Things were reaching a head. Even though a big part of me was still hurt at Nessie's betrayal, I could not physically bear to see her so upset any longer. I knew we still had a lot to figure out, but I also knew that I was determined that we _would_ do just that.

"Jake, can you ever forgive me for all of this?" she whispered. I smiled slowly and shrugged as she showed me for the first time that she wanted to work through things as much as I did. I was still nursing severe emotional bruising from all of this, but despite the hurt, I couldn't help being relieved that there was still a possibility of a future for the two of us.

"Ness, I don't have a choice. I don't want to live without you. We'll work it out, honey. C'mere." I flicked my head upward to her in encouragement and she climbed to her feet, moving toward me. As she grew closer to me, my skin began to tingle in anticipation. It was hard to believe that it was only a matter of days since we'd touched each other; I felt like a man caught in a drought about to take a life-saving drink of water.

Before she'd had a chance to reach me I'd taken two steps forward, my arms reaching for her. My hands made contact with her upper arms and a sudden current jumped between our bodies, flowing through my skin and making me shiver, before it faded and I stilled again. I'd never felt anything like it; it was exquisite.

"Holy crap!" I gasped, as I tried to work out what had just happened. "What the hell was that?"

I held onto Nessie as she wrapped her arms around me too, holding on as though for dear life. Since we'd touched, something had changed subtly. The air around us seemed charged with an energy that I'd never noticed before and Ness seemed to be almost emitting some kind of aura.

"Shooting star," she whispered, almost in wonderment and I was unable to stop the happy chuckle that rose from my chest.

We stood like that for a while, neither of us talking, just revelling in being close enough to touch each other again. There were still unresolved issues between us, but the feeling I had that made my heart want to burst from my chest with happiness, also reassured me that if we both felt this way then there was nothing that could happen to keep us apart any longer. I was reluctant to break the spell, but everything that had happened here in this room earlier had me feeling a little stifled now.

I lifted a hand and smoothed it over Nessie's hair.

"Let's take a walk, Ness."

She looked up at me, contentment in her eyes despite everything we'd gone through during the past week, smiled and nodded. We drew apart but I kept hold of her small hand in my large one, frightened that if I let go then she might prove to be a mirage and disappear.

********

Nessie and I walked through the silent house; there was no sign of Rosalie or Emmett. We headed outside onto the terrace and down the steps toward the waterfront. It was late now and the sky was a clear, inky black, the thousands of stars twinkling brightly above us. We made our way down onto the waterfront and strolled side by side, the stones making next to no sound below our feet.

When the lights from the house had faded behind us, I stopped and pulled Nessie round to face me, linking our other hands together. I smiled at her, aware that I couldn't completely hold back the sadness as I thought of her with _him _and knowing that some of it had escaped and tinged the smile.

As her eyes took in my face, her expression became pained.

"Oh God, Jake. Please don't look at me like that, it's killing me!" She hung her head and leaned forward to rest it on my chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," I said to her, softly. She didn't respond. "Hey." I said it more purposefully this time and raised our entwined hands together, lifting her chin with my thumb so she was looking up at me. "It'll be ok, Ness. If we both want to do this then we _can_ work it out."

She nodded and allowed herself a small smile. I kept our hands where they were and bent my face down toward hers. I paused for a moment, my mouth just an inch from hers and I heard her breath hitch and shake. The sound made my stomach flip and I slowly leaned in to close the small gap. Her lips were even softer than I'd remembered – despite the number of times I'd played out kissing her again in my memory. She groaned softly and a delicious tingle of electricity passed through the kiss, from her lips to mine and down through my body. Instead of fading away this time, it stopped between my legs and I felt myself slowly harden as the kiss continued and the feeling manifested itself there.

Nessie untangled her hands from mine and slid them up my chest, over my shoulders and reached them around my neck where she gently ran her fingernails over the skin, causing shivers to run up and down my spine. I opened my mouth slightly and gasped quietly, but didn't break the kiss; instead I slipped my tongue out between my lips and ran it across Nessie's lower lip. She responded by parting her lips gently and slipping her tongue out to meet mine. Our lips touched again as our tongues entwined, moving sensuously together, slowly at first, then more urgently. She gasped and broke away from me. I leaned forward, toward her and gently sucked her lower lip into my mouth. Our breathing quickened as we began to kiss deeply again. My hands had been cupping her face, but then I slid them down her body, grazing her breasts as they moved down, causing her to moan gently.

I held onto her waist for a while and then I suddenly yanked her body roughly forward so she was pressed against me. As her belly collided with my hard cock, I groaned loudly and broke off, panting. I nuzzled into her neck, inhaling deeply the scent that I'd missed so much and feeling my heart beat increase in response. I kissed my way downward, nibbling and licking gently as I went. Nessie was holding onto me tightly now and her breathing was heavy. She pushed herself against me, causing me to gasp again.

We were right by the tree-line at the edge of the forest. I gently pushed Nessie backward, until her back rested against one of the large tree trunks. I bent and kissed her mouth again. As out tongues met, Nessie moved one of her hands down my body. As she reached the bottom of my t-shirt, she slipped her hand underneath it and ran her finger along the inside of the waistband of my jeans from one side of my body to the other. She brought her other hand down too, and without pulling her tongue away from mine, she popped the buttons open on my fly. I groaned in anticipation.

She pushed us away from the tree and turned us around so that I was now the one backed up to it. She broke the kiss off, and as I looked down at her, my eyes half closed in ecstasy, she gazed back up at me with a hunger in her eyes as she licked her lips. My cock strained against my jeans at the sight, and then again as she hooked her fingers in the sides of my jeans and shorts and pulled them down, slowly. I groaned as my hardness sprung free from the confines of my clothes, and again as I watched Nessie sink to her knees in front of me. She wrapped her hand around my length and then her eyes still on mine, she leaned forward, licked her lips again and took me into her mouth.

It was too much for me. I gasped loudly with the intense sensation, closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree. I wrapped my hands loosely in her hair as she slid me steadily in and out of her wet mouth.

Every so often she would use the tip of her tongue to flick the underside of my cock just near the head, where it was most sensitive, causing me to gasp loudly at the intense sensation it caused. She'd then go back to sliding me in and out; in as far as she could fit me, then nearly right back out, circling the head of my cock with her tongue deliciously. Occasionally Nessie would moan herself, the vibrations impossibly making it feel even better.

It wasn't long before I knew that I was heading toward the point of no return. I didn't want that – I'd been awaiting this reunion eagerly enough to not want it to end like this.

"Ness." My voice was huskier than usual as I spoke to her. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, but didn't stop what she was doing.

I gasped at the erotic image before me, fighting the urge to just give in and let her make me cum like this. "Ness, stop," I pleaded as I unthreaded my hands from her hair and put them on her shoulders. I pushed her away slightly and shifted my hips back to pull myself from her mouth. "I want you," I told her as I stroked her face slightly with one hand. She turned toward it and kissed it before she slipped her mouth around one of my fingers and sucked it, just as she'd just sucked another part of me. "I want you now." I spoke more urgently, the desire to take her becoming overwhelming.

She moaned and looked at me, eyes filled with hunger. She crouched down and began to undo my boots. I quickly pulled my feet out of them and she slid my jeans and underwear down and off me, abandoning them on the damp grass next to us. She stood and pulled at my t-shirt. I quickly yanked it off over my head and then reached forward and did the same to hers. Her skin was beautiful in the dim light, pale and ethereal. My heart swelled with love for the girl in front of me and I felt overcome by my emotions, especially after the rollercoaster of the last few days. I reached out with my hand and stroked her face. She leaned into my palm, still breathing heavily and looked up at me, her eyes filled with desire. I ran my hand slowly downward. Her breasts were full and her nipples erect, hardening further as I brushed my fingers across them.

I bent and took one gently in my mouth, swirling my tongue around it, teasing gently with my teeth and then sucking on it before I moved my mouth across to the other one and did the same. I straightened again and she released a small moan of frustration. She looked beautiful standing out here like this, and my heart threatened to burst from my chest with the satisfying knowledge that she was mine. It had come close, but she was still here with me.

I was desperate to be inside her now, to share everything with her completely. I leaned forward and kissed her greedily, reaching down to push her pants down and running my hand over the lace of her panties on her behind as I did so. She stepped out of her pants and I slid my hand around her hip and onto the damp lace that covered her wet center. She groaned lustily at my gentle touch and tried to push herself onto my hand, gasping in frustration as I moved it away slightly, teasing her.

"Jake, please," she begged me. I smiled.

"Be patient, Ness."

She hissed, frustrated again and I pounced. I ripped the panties from her with one hand while I plunged two fingers from the other inside her wet folds. She cried out ecstatically and reached for my body to steady herself. I moved my fingers skilfully inside her, finding all the places to stroke that I knew she liked best, and being rewarded with her sighs and moans of pleasure. She pressed herself harder against my hand as I moved my fingers inside her and pressed the heel against her on the outside, higher up, pressing and rubbing it against her as my fingers brought her closer to her release.

I could feel her legs trembling and she leaned her forehead onto my chest. Her gasps were driving me wild and I couldn't wait to have her. I buried my nose in her hair and breathed in the scent of her deeply, loving the fact that the extra sense added another layer to the way I was feeling. Suddenly I felt her take my throbbing cock into her hand and begin stroking it gently up and down in a direct contrast to the pace at which I was pleasuring her. She stroked her thumb across the head and gently circled it across the sensitive skin there, spreading the sticky wetness around. I gasped too at the delicious sensation and eroticism at making each other feel so good at the same time. As I became worried that she was going to bring me to a climax soon, I recognised the signs that she was nearly there herself. As she became increasingly caught up in her own ecstasy, I managed to gently pull myself from her hand. She immediately grabbed onto my body with it, holding tightly onto my hip as I continued touching her, increasing the pace slightly. She was panting noisily, faster and faster, until finally I felt her muscles clenching tightly around my fingers, in spasms that rocked her body as she threw her head back and cried out.

I couldn't wait any longer. As her orgasm faded and her legs threatened to collapse, I slid my fingers out of her and placed my hands under her behind, lifting her and turning so that she had her back to the tree. As she wrapped her legs around my waist, I guided myself inside her. She was soaking wet from her excitement and I slid easily into her, both of us moaning loudly.

"Oh My God, you feel so good," I gasped as I found a rhythm and moved in and out of her. She can't have had any idea how much I'd wanted this since she'd gone. Not for the sexual release, but for the nearness of her, of being as close as it was possible to get to another person. I felt that I wanted to melt into her, for our bodies to become one.

"You too," she whispered breathlessly, having not been given chance to get her breath back before I started working her body towards another orgasm. She leaned back against the tree, her smooth, yet tough skin at no risk of being damaged by the bark as I moved her against it, up and down, back and forth.

I looked at her face through my half-closed eyes, the intensity of my pleasure keeping them that way involuntarily. She hung on to me, her eyes much the same as mine, her mouth hanging open slightly, her breath coming in gasps each time I thrust into her. Every now and again she'd lick her lips, the sight nearly driving me over the edge. I leaned in and kissed her deeply, our tongues hungry for each other as our bodies moved together, our chests sticking slightly where we were damp with sweat, before there was more and the stickiness stopped and our skin slid against each other.

Nessie was trying to move faster with me now and I increased the pace, thrusting faster and deeper. She cried out as I plunged deep inside her, driving us both toward the very pinnacle of almost unbearable pleasure. We came together. She started to clench me as I felt myself start to come. Her muscles squeezed and released me over and over again as I simultaneously emptied myself inside her and we both gripped each other tightly and cried out, with gasps and grunts and groans as we shared the most basic thing that a man and a woman can share. And it was right; we were right. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, we were a perfect fit.

As I held her to me, her legs still wrapped around me and our heads on each others' shoulders as we panted from the exertion and our hearts thudded in our chests, I felt complete. We both pulled our heads back at the same time and gazed into one another's eyes.

"I love you," we both said at the same time, causing us to laugh. We both became serious again and I leaned forward to kiss her softly.

"Forever," I said simply, and Nessie nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Forever," she agreed, and we hugged again.

**A/N Your reviews will help spur me on with Chapter 21 so please let me know what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry for the delay in this update. I'm writing as we go along now and real life has been hard work for a few weeks. Hopefully things are back on track now and the next one should be faster.**

**Thanks to Ari & Erin for their beta services :o)**

**Chapter 21**

**Jake PoV**

I hadn't slept well at all that night despite the sweet reunion of the previous evening. My dreams were haunted by _him_; his arrogant face as we'd faced one another across the bedroom, and his body pressed against Nessie's on the bed in which Nessie and I now lay.

Eventually I could stand it no longer. The sun was barely rising as I slipped out from beneath the bedclothes, pulled on my jeans, and wandered out onto the balcony.

I couldn't help wondering if I'd rushed back into things with Nessie too quickly, passions had been running high with everything that had happened and it was easy to ride the wave of victory straight back into her arms – and bed – without thinking too much about where we went from that point on.

As much as I loved her, I needed to be sure that I could trust her completely. I really didn't want to get hurt over and over; I refused to put myself through that. It was time to start looking out for myself a little more, not just laying my heart out like a 'welcome' mat for others to wipe their feet on as they passed over it on their way in and out.

On top of this, my dreams had shown me that I had a lot of healing to do. Even if Ness did manage to convince me that she was sure of her emotions, what I had witnessed – and worse still, the scenes I hadn't which my imagination had taken the liberty of filling in for me – weren't going to disappear overnight. They were etched onto my brain and I knew instinctively that there were more sleepless nights to follow because of them.

"Hey."

I kept my hands on the railing where I leaned forward, but turned my head in the direction of the sleepy voice. My breath hitched as I took her in. She looked beautiful, standing in the pale light of the dawn, my t-shirt skimming her thighs and her hair tousled from the time she'd spent in bed. That bed. Another vision of her with him flashed quickly through my mind, and I turned away before she could see me flinch.

"Hey," I mumbled, unable to inject any warmth into the greeting.

She walked over and wrapped herself around my right arm, resting her head against my shoulder and looking out across the water. I stiffened slightly, uncomfortable with how her touch completed me in the here and now, while I tormented myself mentally with images of her with someone else.

Nessie must have sensed the change because she lifted her head and looked at me. I turned my head and gazed back into the chocolate brown depths I was so familiar with, they were filled with concern.

"Jake, what's wrong?"

Her expression had changed and she looked worried now. I straightened up, twisting my arm free from hers and turning to face her, my left hand still on the railing. I sighed deeply as I looked at her face, my heart nearly breaking as I saw a glimmer of pain just below the surface.

"I'm sorry, Ness. I guess I can't just go straight back to how things were before…" I gestured back toward the bedroom with my free hand and grimaced unhappily. "I really want us to get through this, but it's going to take some work. I need to be sure. Sure that you're sure, I mean."

She inhaled sharply.

"Jake, if this whole mess has taught me anything at all, it's that I'm sure of you."

She seemed desperate, her eyes pleading with me. I could tell that she was genuinely terrified of losing me, and while part of me ached at making her feel this way, another part got some kind of satisfaction from it; it was another tiny step toward being convinced of her true feelings for me and our relationship.

Her eyes were tearing up now as she stood in front of me, her hands out and palms upward.

"What can I do? How can I convince you?"

I gave her my most honest answer, my voice faltering.

"I don't know, Ness. I have no idea what I need from you."

"Then how can you expect me to give it to you, Jake?"

Her voice had risen now and she was almost wailing with the helplessness that she obviously felt. She rocked forward on her feet and I felt a sudden surge in our connection. I simply couldn't leave her standing there upset any longer. Stepping forward, I took one of her hands and pulled her over to one of the chairs that were on the balcony. I sat down on it and pulled her down onto my lap, cradling her against me. As always, the moment she was in my arms I felt complete. Our two separate pools of love merged into one as we touched, surrounding us completely and catching all of my concerns, sending them floating toward the edges of my thoughts where they no longer seemed to matter.

After a few minutes, Ness had managed to get her tears under control and she suddenly sat up straight.

"Jake, I'll show you. I'll prove that nothing happened with Nahuel."

I watched warily as she reached upward and her hand moved toward my face. At the last moment I grabbed her wrist and held it.

"No, Ness."

I became aware that I was speaking to her in the way that a parent warns a small child that's about to do something they shouldn't. I pulled myself up sharply, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate being spoken to like that. I lowered my voice almost to a whisper.

"Please don't, I don't want to see his face anymore. I saw enough of it in my head, all last night."

She looked crushed at my admission, guilt written all over her face as her shoulders sagged.

"Oh God, Jake. I'm so sorry. What have I done to you? To us?"

I pulled her to me again and buried my face in her hair. We both knew what she'd done; that question didn't need answering between us. A more important question now was whether the damage could be repaired. I'd meant everything that I'd said to her last night when I'd said it, but I was still high on the victory of having her back while _he'd _had to disappear. Was it naïve of me to have thought that it would be possible to carry on with our forever after everything the last week had thrown at me?

I thought back to the days we'd spent apart and decided that no, I definitely needed her. We had to at least try, although I knew for a fact that she was going to have to work hard to regain my trust.

"Nessie, let's go home. I'm surrounded by bad memories here; I want to go where there aren't any reminders."

She nodded and looked almost relieved. Whether this was a result of feeling the same way or if she was just pleased that I wasn't pushing her away, I couldn't tell, because I know that she feared that happening. As if I could; she should understand imprinting, understand _me_, better than that.

"Let's go soon," she said eagerly, looking brighter than she had all morning. "Let me shower and grab my stuff and let's go."

I sighed in relief at her swift acceptance of my request.

"Sure, honey. Sounds good," I told her.

She jumped off me, pausing briefly to plant a kiss on my lips before she dashed inside.

As I watched her go, my stomach growled and I realised it was a long time since I'd eaten. I decided to go and prepare breakfast for us both while Nessie got showered and packed.

As I descended the staircase, I was faced with Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett was sitting watching TV, some sports round up program, while Rosalie sat leafing through a magazine. She stood as I reached the foot of the stairs while Emmett turned his head from the TV.

"Hey, man," he acknowledged with a brief wave before turning back to the commentary he'd been watching.

"How is she, Jake?" Rosalie asked, stepping toward me.

I didn't answer straight away; I was too busy deciding on how best to conduct myself. I was still angry as hell at her. She was the one who'd brought them here together and then played the doting aunt while God only knows what went on under her roof. I did know though, how deep her feelings for Nessie were and I knew that she'd never do anything to hurt her. As much as I hated to admit it, I was sure that this had been nothing more than a badly thought out plan on Rosalie's part that had proceeded to go terribly wrong.

I just couldn't bring myself to be any more than civil to her, but civil I _would_ be, for Ness's sake.

"She's ok, sort of. _We're_ not so good."

Ok, so I went for civil with a touch of 'frosty'. As I passed her, bumping her arm as I went, I saw her flinch slightly.

"Jake, I'm sorry, really I am. If I'd known—"

I spun around, the frostiness thawing abruptly in a sudden surge of hot anger.

"Save it Rosalie, we all know how you've always felt about me."

My eyes widened as Rose actually looked offended. I held back the guffaw that threatened to escape my lips at the sight.

"That's not true," she told me, sounding affronted. "All I want for Nessie is the best, and as much as you may think it pains me to say it, Jacob Black, I happen to realise that for her, that is you." She jabbed a finger in my direction. "And I told Nahuel as much too. I warned him, Jake, and explained how things were before I brought him here with her. It was never anyone's intention for any of this to end up how it did. I certainly don't agree with the way Nessie let things go, although a part of me understands why she did it."

I glared at her as I took her words in.

"She's young Jake, and she's led a privileged and protected life. We've all got some degree of blame in all of this; it's unfair to start laying it all at anyone's feet."

To my surprise I found that I agreed with almost everything she said.

"Except him," I stated as my eyes narrowed. "I'll blame him as much as I like. I knew straight away what his intentions were and he proved me right. Well, I'm not going to risk losing her again by running out. I'm fighting for her, Rose."

She regarded me for a moment, a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Good," she said simply. "It's about time."

And with that she turned and climbed the stairs with easy grace.

"Chicks," moaned Emmett, his eyes not leaving the screen.

From some distance away I heard Rose bark his name in a warning tone.

"Sorry, Babe" he chuckled and turned to me, winking before turning back to the TV.

I smirked briefly at the exchange, envying Rose and Emmett and the comfortable familiarity of their relationship. Life with Nessie had been uncomplicated once and damn-near perfect. I wondered what had gone wrong; why a visit from somebody who shouldn't have mattered had driven all these insecurities out of our inner selves and to the forefront of our relationship. I wondered if it would always have happened someday even without _his _visit?

I sighed deeply as I began to make breakfast. We'd never know; better now just to concentrate on making things right again.

As I stood watching the bacon cooking, I pulled my cell from my pocket, checking that I could still hear the shower running above me as I dialled. She answered quickly.

"Hey, Jake. Is she ok? We've been worried sick since Rose said—"

I should have known she'd be in a state about everything.

"Relax Bells, she's fine."

"Is she, Jake, or are you just trying to make me feel better? Because really, I'd rather know."

"I swear, she's ok."

She exhaled with relief and I jumped in quickly with my request.

"Bella, I want someone to go over there and tell him to go home. I know it'll hurt Nessie if anything happens to him, and I can't guarantee I'll be able to control myself if I'm within ten miles of him again." My free hand tightened involuntarily into a fist at the very thought of him.

"Jake, I—"

Her voice was apologetic and I knew she was going to try and avoid getting involved.

"Please, Bells," I whispered. "For me."

I'd never asked that of her, not since Nessie, but I'd always suspected that she still felt some guilt about how she'd hurt me in the past. I heard her sigh in surrender, and knew then that I was right. I'd never take advantage of it, but I was feeling pretty desperate after everything that had happened.

"Ok, Jake. I'll go myself and I'll try and persuade him."

Relief flooded me.

"Thanks, Bells. Trust me; it'll make things a lot easier all round when he's gone."

We spoke then of our arrangements for returning home and promised to stop by Carlise & Esme's house so that everybody could see for themselves that Nessie was ok. I guessed that Bella also wanted a chance to speak with Ness about our past. I hoped that her mother's reassurance would be enough to help Nessie put aside the last of her demons about it.

Nessie walked in a few minutes after I'd ended the call, just as I was dishing up breakfast. She wandered over and leaned back against the counter, hair still wet from the shower, watching me.

"Who was that?"

"Huh?" I looked up briefly from what I was doing.

"On the phone, I heard you talking to someone."

"Oh." I resumed putting the food on the plates again. "Just your Mom, I was letting her know that we were going home. She wants us to stop by Carlisle's on the way."

Nessie rolled her eyes as she pushed away from the counter and reached for the plate and cutlery I was holding out to her. I picked my own up and followed her into the dining room where we sat down opposite one another.

"Ness, just humour them, ok? The sooner we get it out of the way, the sooner we can get home."

She looked across at me despondently.

"Yeah, I guess." She picked up her fork and began picking at her food.

As soon as I'd cleared my plate, she dropped her fork down onto her own and pushed it toward me to finish her barely touched food. When I'd finished that too, I stood and picked up the plates.

"C'mon, let's clear up and get going."

********

For some reason, as I climbed onto my motorcycle my stomach tightened into a knot at the thought of going home. I felt uneasy about something, but I wasn't quite sure what. As Emmett pulled out of the driveway, Nessie, who was sitting in the back seat of the SUV looking as nervous as I felt, turned to look at me. I'd left in a hurry and didn't have the spare helmet so we were travelling back separately. With a quick wave I kicked the bike to life under me, let the throttle out and followed them. Why did I get the feeling that the next few hours would be the calm before the storm?

**A/N: Was he too harsh on her or did she get off too lightly?**

**Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter, it was great to have so many.**

**Thanks to my betas Angelz111 and Whitlocked for their help with this chapter,**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 22**

**Nessie PoV**

I spent the drive home deep in thought. I should have known that Jake's seemingly easy acceptance at finding me in a compromising situation with Nahuel was too good to be true. Our reunion had seemed perfect, but then this morning he'd seemed a little off and I'd known that it was too soon to think that everything was back on track between us. He'd confirmed it with words and I guess I could understand his doubt in me after my behaviour with Nahuel.

I sighed deeply as I thought of Nahuel. Poor Nahuel. It hadn't been an easy few days for him, either. We'd both come to terms with our mutual attraction. We'd succumbed to it and we'd fought it; though never at the same time. We'd dealt with it, and then came the bombshell that found us in each others' arms at the worst possible moment. Would things have gone further, I wondered, if Jake hadn't walked in right then. I'd like to think that they wouldn't have; that I'd have had a moment of clarity and managed to resist whatever pull it was that I felt toward Nahuel, but ikn that moment I had wanted to give in. I'd felt so deeply hurt about Jake and my mom that I couldn't even stop to find out the details, I just pushed my finger down hard on the destruct button and refused to think about the fallout from my behaviour.

I wondered what Nahuel thought of me now that he'd had chance to cool down and it had become obvious that I hadn't followed him. Had he really ever expected me to? He knew all about my relationship with Jake, he had to know that there was every chance that we'd be trying to work our way through what had happened.

All I'd been looking for was to make a new friend and what had I achieved? I'd managed to create a fractured relationship with my soul mate and destroyed any chance of friendship with one of the only people in the world that were the same as me. I knew that regardless of what Nahuel thought of me now, there was no way that we could ever be friends. Jake would never allow it and I really didn't expect him to. If the situation were reversed, I knew that I'd feel exactly the same way.

Rosalie turned to glance at me yet again; she'd been checking on me every few minutes since we left the house. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the leather headrest. I knew it wouldn't stop her checking on me, but at least I didn't have to see her doing it, she was making me feel worse with her constant scrutiny.

Gradually, the gentle purr of the powerful engine lulled me into a sleep.

********

"Ah, man, it's going to hit the fan now!"

I was woken by Emmett's words and guffaw as the car slowed. Groggily, I lifted my head and forced my eyes open to see what he was talking about. Standing in front of my grandparent's house watching us draw to a halt, was Nahuel. His feet were planted firmly, slightly apart, and he stood tall, looking straight at us with his arms folded in front of his chest.

I instantly felt wide awake as a surge of nervous energy coursed quickly through my veins. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned quickly in my seat to look for Jake. I found him at the same time as he noticed Nahuel and watched as he turned the throttle and roared quickly past us, braking at the last moment and leaping gracefully from the bike as it slid to the ground only six feet from where Nahuel still stood.

I fumbled blindly for the door handle, panicking now at what was unfolding. Finally, my fingers found it and I had the door open in an instant, jumping quickly out and running over to where Jake stood towering above Nahuel. I slipped in front of Jake. They were standing so close that I was sandwiched between the two of them, my back touching Jake's chest and feeling the vibrations of his anger.

"Nahuel, this isn't a good idea, you need to leave. Now!" I hissed at him. He finally moved his steely gaze from Jake's face and looked at me. His eyes softened as he looked at me and I felt…nothing but fondness. No jolts, no electricity. I wondered if the spell of our attraction had been broken or if it was just that my bond with Jake was stronger and making me immune to whatever connection I'd felt to Nahuel before. "Please," I begged him, desperately trying to avoid the confrontation that was sadly, probably now inevitable.

I saw his arm begin to move, and knew instinctively that he was going to touch me. I looked at him and widened my eyes meaningfully, adding an almost imperceptible single shake of my head to warn him not to. I knew for a fact that Jake wasn't going to need much of an excuse to fly at him, touching me would definitely do it.

"Jake?" I turned my head and raised it to look at Jake. "Do you think I could have a minute with Nahuel? Alone?"

The instant the words left my lips, his eyes flew down to meet mine and I knew this request had been a mistake. He looked incredulous, hurt, and angry all within a split second. I swallowed deeply and silently cursed myself for my cruel misjudgement again. I wondered how I'd ever thought that I knew and understood Jake so completely. Everything had always gone so well between us because we prided ourselves on our closeness and understanding of each other. For some reason however, since Nahuel arrived, everything seemed to have tilted slightly and tipped us off balance. At times I'd felt as though I barely knew Jake at all, and looking back, I'd made bad decision after bad decision. I felt like crying but knew that the situation here was too serious now to start getting emotional so I fought to keep the tears at bay.

Jake glared at me for a moment, and then he stepped back, taking hold of my upper arm to pull me to him. He bent to speak to me like a child and I had to fight harder to hold back the hot, salty tears that filled my eyes.

"Nessie, what the hell are you doing? Don't you ever learn?" His voice was increasing in volume and angry tone as he spoke to me, his large hand still wrapped tightly around my arm, shaking me slightly for emphasis as he spoke. "I can't believe—"

"I'm sorry, Jake, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," I whispered as the tears began to run down my cheeks.

"HEY!"

I'd forgotten that Nahuel was there for a moment, but suddenly he was shouting at Jake. "Let go of her!"

Jake's head flew up and his eyes narrowed as he eyed Nahuel.

"With pleasure," he growled, and suddenly he released his grip on my arm. I watched as he pulled off his beloved leather jacket, throwing it to the ground before he yanked his t-shirt off over his head. As always, I was momentarily stunned by his beauty, his russet skin taut across his well defined and sculpted muscles.

Nahuel scoffed at his actions.

"Yeah, that's right, go wolf. You afraid of a fair fight, dog?"

Jake froze for a second, his muscles twitching expectantly, and then he flew at the smaller figure. I fully expected him to phase despite Nahuel's taunts, but to my relief when he slammed into him he was still in his human form. Nahuel recovered quickly from the impact and somehow managed to get out from under Jake and back on his feet. Jake was up a split second after and threw a fast punch that landed on Nahuel's jaw. On a human, it would have shattered the bone and sent them flying to the floor with the force of it, but Nahuel merely staggered back a little and shook his head to clear it from the impact.

They were fairly evenly matched with Jake human. Both of them were far stronger than normal humans and Nahuel's earlier taunt had been a clever move on his part, as in wolf form Jake would have easily over-powered him. This way it could go either way. Unless…a small voice whispered somewhere in the back of my mind. Unless Nahuel bit Jake.

I panicked. Turning away from the fighting I spun around, searching desperately as I wondered where Rose and Emmett had gone. I longed for somebody to step in and stop the fight; the thought of Jake being poisoned by Nahuel's bite had me stricken.

My aunt and uncle appeared in the doorway of the house then with my grandparents and Seth.

"Somebody stop them!" I yelled frantically at them. "Please!"

Everybody seemed frozen to the spot. I turned back to see Nahuel kick out to swipe one of Jake's legs from under him causing him to fall backwards onto the ground. His rich brown skin was glistening with sweat and his muscles were bulging from the exertion of the fight. As he lay half propped up on his elbows, I noticed that his body had grass and smears of mud on it. This obviously wasn't the first time Nahuel had managed to knock him to the ground. I watched as the whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. Jake's breathing was heavy, his chest heaving with each breath. I could see Nahuel's face from where I stood and could tell that he was working entirely on his instincts now, which was dangerous for Jake. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing his venom covered teeth as his body crouched, ready to spring.

I raced forward and made a grab for Nahuel. I missed, but managed to grasp a handful of fabric from his shirt in my hand as he leapt forward. He was too strong for the material to hold him back, and there was a tearing sound as the shirt ripped away from his body. He still landed on Jake, but my grab had been enough to distract him long enough to allow Jake to collect himself. He was ready when Nahuel landed and held his hands out, propelling him away again as he made contact. Jake was on his feet quickly, grunting as he made for Nahuel, and then they were wrestling, moving so quickly, that now they were both shirtless it was difficult at times to tell them apart as they tumbled, a ball of brown, glistening skin and flying fists. Only every so often would the sunlight catch them and make Nahuel's skin shimmer gently, differentiating it from Jake's.

I became aware of the sound of a car approaching and looked up as my dad's car came to a stop outside the house. He and my mom climbed from the car and began to make their way quickly over to me. I noticed at the same time some other movement around my Dad's car, but was distracted by the others, who had finally begun to move off the porch and toward us. Looking quickly back to Jake and Nahuel, I noticed that Nahuel seemed to be doing a little better than Jake. Although Jake was fighting back, he seemed to end up under Nahuel more than Nahuel ended up under him.

I felt distraught by the scene in front of me. I was guilty certainly, because without my involvement with Nahuel, things would never have got like this between the two men. It was difficult seeing two people who I cared for fighting like this, but I knew for certain now that if had I to choose then it would be Jake every time. My body was filled with physical aches deep inside each time I saw Nahuel hurt him, and while I didn't like to see Nahuel hurt by Jake, it was a different feeling altogether; more like the concern you'd feel for a friend.

As I watched them, I saw Nahuel pin Jake down again and lean down to whisper something to him. Although my hearing was exceptional, it was still too quiet for me to hear. It had obviously hit a nerve with Jake though, because Nahuel was suddenly flying back through the air. I watched with increasing horror as I realised what was happening, and before I could even speak, Jake had gone and there in his place was the huge russet wolf, its lips curled in a snarl and a spine-chilling growl coming from its mouth. As Jake stalked toward Nahue,l I froze to the spot, unable to move or speak. I was surprised when three figures suddenly flew past me and planted themselves defiantly in front of Nahuel. As I looked I took in the three beautiful dark haired, dark skinned women, all different but with certain similarities, both to each other and to Nahuel. I realised that these must be his sisters.

I breathed a sigh of relief that at last someone had done something about the situation, surely Jake would phase back now and everybody could calm down. After a moment though I realised with horror that Jake hadn't stopped at all, he was still moving toward the spot where Nahuel and his sisters stood, the growl continuing.

Then three things happened simultaneously. Jake crouched, ready to pounce, I screamed, and a smaller, but still huge sand-colored wolf bounded past me. I sank to the ground and covered my eyes, unable to believe that Seth would join in with this potential carnage and unwilling to watch it happen. And then there were two sets of growls and snarls filling the air and I felt gentle arms around me, pulling me toward the body that they belonged to. I had started to give in to them when I suddenly realised who they belonged to and I pulled away again. I opened my eyes and looked up at my mom. Being this close to her knowing that Jake had been in love with her and she'd kept it from me made me feel torn. I'd missed her and longed to hug her, but the thought of the huge secret that now sat firmly wedged between us made me feel a little ill if I was absolutely honest with myself. I had no chance to think about it further though, because the snarls increased in volume and ferocity. My head turned toward the sound involuntarily. I was shocked by the scene before me.

The sandy wolf wasn't standing shoulder to shoulder with the russet wolf as I'd expected him to be. They were standing muzzle to muzzle.

**A/N Please review, it helps me to write faster!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks to Ari & Erin of Project Team Beta for their help yet again!**

**Been wondering if you were right about why Seth jumped up to face Jake? **

**Let's find out!**

**Chapter 23**

**Jake PoV**

Nahuel's words had cut so deeply that I'd been unable to stop myself from phasing. All I wanted at that moment was to rip him to shreds and I was determined to do it.

I shoved him as hard as I could and he went flying away from me. I phased quickly, focusing only on the half-vampire in front of me. As I advanced slowly forward, stalking him, three women raced smoothly across the grass to stand in front of him. I recognised two of them as his sisters; the third woman was obviously one who I hadn't met. Fine by me though, the trouble they'd all caused me by coming here, four for one would be a bonus. I continued forward but was suddenly aware of a voice in my head.

_Jake, no!_

_Get outta here, Seth, unless you want to help?_

_I mean it, Jake. I won't let you. I _can't_ let you._

He was in front of me now, his narrow grey muzzle just inches from my own. I realised that he was growling every bit as hard as I was. I was confused as to why he'd do this, and then his thoughts came filtering through into my head.

_Aah, Seth, man! Noooo! _This last sentiment came out as a tortured howl as I raised my mouth to the sky.

I knew that there was no way around this now as I watched and heard everything going on in Seth's head.

_I'm sorry, Jake._

He lowered his head in an apologetic gesture, but I noticed that he didn't take his eyes from me, remaining alert to my actions. My head felt as though it were spinning, while his sympathy for my situation flowed through his thoughts, so did a series of images and thoughts with an altogether different vibe; those of a man whose centre of gravity had just shifted. A man who had imprinted. A man who would be exactly whatever the subject of his imprinting needed him to be, which at this exact moment in time was protector of her and her siblings, including the brother I was itching to tear to shreds.

Everywhere outside of my head was silent now; no growls vibrating through the air, just…nothing. The inside of my head however, was alive with the buzz of Seth's thoughts and my own. I knew we weren't the only two who knew what was going on and turned my head to look at Edward, crouching next to Nessie on the ground, one arm around her shoulders, his face expressionless.

I could feel the atmosphere changing as everyone grew restless, wondering what was going on. I saw Nessie turn to her right to look at Edward. Reading her thoughts, he answered before she even had chance to ask the question. He spoke quietly, out of respect I guessed, although as everyone present had exceptional hearing it was pointless.

"Seth imprinted on one of Nahuel's sisters."

No further explanation was needed for Nessie, but as I looked past Seth at the three women standing behind him with Nahuel, I noticed that Edward's words had left them bemused and they exchanged puzzled glances.

I knew I had no option. No fight could take place here, not now. It was ironic to think that the basic wolf pack rule that I'd once been so grateful for, when it had saved Nessie from the rest of the pack as an infant, was now causing me to curse. A wolf couldn't harm another wolf's imprint. Even without his sisters as a shield, I knew that Seth would never agree with any action I took against Nahuel. After all, hurt could be emotional as well as physical and his sisters obviously had a strong bond with him if they were prepared to face a wolf for him.

I turned and walked slowly toward the edge of the forest where it met the lawn, looking meaningfully at Nessie as I went. She understood immediately and quickly got to her feet. Through Seth's mind I saw her flash a quick hostile look at Nahuel, then away again as she caught up with me and we walked into the trees together.

Once undercover I phased back, naked now, having shredded my pants when I lost it with _him_. I was examining my body for signs of bruises and grazes, when Seth loped through the trees too. Nessie tactfully turned away as he phased and pulled on the cut off sweats he'd had tied to his ankle.

He looked awkward as hell as he stood in front of us, shifting from foot to foot.

"Jake, I—"

I cut him off angrily.

"Seth, I know. Just get outta here." I knew it was unfair but I couldn't hide my annoyance. He looked crushed and I could tell that he didn't want to have to follow this order from his alpha. He was a loyal friend and would be craving the opportunity to make things right.

I felt my irritation growing as he didn't move.

"Seth, just go!"

I looked across at Nessie in time to see her wince at my treatment of one of my best friends. I sighed deeply, looking off to the side and then down at the ground, suddenly feeling some level of remorse for how I was treating him. My shoulders sagged slightly.

"I'll call you later," he told me as he backed away a couple of steps.

"Sure, sure," I replied, rubbing my face with my hand and watching as he turned and disappeared back toward the house.

I turned my whole body toward Nessie. She visibly cringed as my gaze fixed on her.

"You know what this means now, right?" My voice was resigned now, the anger having subsided. She nodded slowly, but I continued regardless. "We're never going to be free of him now; he's always going to be there lurking in the background."

She shook her head.

"I don't care, Jake. I only want you and I'm not going to do anything to risk losing you again."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"Ness, you never _meant_ to do anything before, but it still nearly happened. It's going to be even harder for you with him around, don't you see?

He's going to keep pushing until something gives. Today it was me that snapped, but thanks to Seth and the stupid imprinting," I spat the words, "that's not going to be an option again."

The irritation in me rose once more as I thought of how close I'd come to ending this before Seth appeared, love struck & defensive.

"Stupid imprinting?" I looked up at Nessie's face and she looked as though she'd been slapped. I instantly felt bad; I'd been too caught up in the situation to think about my words and how they'd sound to Nessie. Of course I'd only meant them in relation to what just happened with Seth, but I could see how she'd have thought I was generalizing after what we'd been through this week.

I huffed in frustration at how nothing seemed to flow like it used to. Every interaction Ness and I shared stuttered and stalled. I wondered if this was how things would always be for us from now on, or if we'd regain our easy togetherness again with time.

"No," I moaned. "Not like that, not us." I ran my hand over the top of my head and down the back of it. "I'm sorry. I'm just…" I shook my head. "I don't know. Tired. Tired of all this." I gestured with my hands, sweeping them widely.

I crossed to where she stood, slid one hand under her hair at the back of her neck and moved the other to raise her face to look up at me.

"Ness, I want us to work this out, more than anything. If I could go back in time to how things were between us, I would."

She pressed her lips together in what appeared to be a smile of understanding and regret. I pulled her into me, wrapping my large arms around her small frame. She hugged me back and I felt the wholeness enveloping us. "Honey, I'm scared," I whispered into her hair. "I'm scared that he'll push us until something gives. That can't be me now and there's only one other thing that could give. You."

She stiffened and I waited for the outburst that I was sure would follow, but it didn't come. Instead, she spoke steadily as her fingers drew absent patterns on the bare skin of my back.

"Jake, I do love you. I know I've made that pretty hard to believe lately, and I'm sorry. You're not the only one who wishes they could turn back the clock."

Her words warmed my soul and I kissed her head. The doubts were still nagging at me though. The damage she'd done to the trust I'd ever had in her still felt irreparable right now.

"Let's go home, Ness. I need to get some clothes and I want our own space again while I get my head together."

She nodded and watched as I phased back into a wolf, more suited to walking through the forest than a naked man. I crouched down and moved my head to urge her onto my back. It wasn't how we usually did things, but I was eager to get home as quickly as possible now. She jumped gracefully onto me, and held on tightly to the shaggy fur on my shoulders. I rose steadily to my feet, careful not to throw Ness off balance, then I took off for home, grateful for the sound of rushing air that made it more difficult to think.

As we neared the house, I slowed and lowered onto my flanks again, and Nessie sprang down, landing lightly at my side. I phased back again and took her hand, smiling at her. She squeezed my hand gently, removing it from mine as we reached the foot of the porch so I could retrieve the spare key from beneath one of the planters. We made our way up the porch steps to the door and I unlocked it, pushing it open and standing back to usher Nessie through first. As I walked through the doorway, I turned instinctually to sweep the outside with my eyes. Apparently my paranoia wasn't ready to leave me yet. Satisfied that nothing seemed amiss I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

Nessie had already gone in and I heard the radio in the kitchen click on and a familiar song began to blare out. The melody and lyrics were upbeat and the sound of Nessie singing along softly drifted out and met my ears. I felt myself begin to relax. The atmosphere of the house was comforting, and at last the feeling of contentment that I used to feel all of the time felt as though it might return.

I wandered through to the kitchen, smiling as I saw Nessie busying herself, tidying the small space. It almost felt as though nothing had ever happened. I pulled the large refrigerator open and took a can of soda out, popping it open and raising it to my lips to draw deeply on the cold liquid.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," I told Ness, as I set the can down on the counter. She crossed over to me and wrapped her arms around my naked waist, looking up at me as she raised one eyebrow playfully.

"Want me to come and scrub your back?"

"Uhh…" I played for time as I wondered how to refuse her without upsetting her again. "Uh-uh." Reaching behind me I took her hands and pulled them slowly away from me. "I'm actually just really tired, Ness." I pulled her hands around and brought them together in front of us. Nessie looked down at the ground, sadly. "Hey," I said, to get her attention. She looked up at me, her big brown eyes despondent. It hurt me to see her looking so sad.

I bent down, touching my lips to hers once, twice, and a third time, before we naturally tilted our heads and allowed our mouths to move more freely together. The kiss deepened as we parted our lips and our tongues met. Somehow the kiss felt more exciting than comfortable, still having the scintillating edge that had made our reunion lovemaking so good the night before.

As I felt us begin to get carried away on the excitement, Nessie pulled her hands free of mine and placed them on my body, sliding them upward while I placed mine on her waist, still guarded about how close I'd allow myself to get to her.

Nessie's hands continued up to my head, and then one moved around to the back of my neck while the other one rested on my cheek. Slowly she began to show me how she was feeling and what she was thinking. She showed me exactly what she wanted me to do to her and what she wanted to do to me. I kissed her more hungrily, it was impossible not to be turned on by what she was showing me. I felt myself begin to harden and was suddenly aware of my nakedness. Ness deliberately crushed herself against me and the sudden, unexpected contact caused me to moan into her mouth.

The sound brought me a moment's awareness and I broke away, breathless. I rested my forehead on hers while I caught my breath.

"Look, I know we jumped straight back into things last night." I squeezed her waist slightly, rubbing my thumbs across the flesh just below the hem of her shirt. "But I think we should back up a little. I need a little time to get my head together, you know?"

I lifted my head and took a step back so I was holding her at arm's length. I regretted my words for an instant when I looked at her. Her chest heaved with her breathlessness, her pupils were dilated and her cheeks were flushed pink. Seeing her visibly turned on was almost enough to make me rethink my resolve. I smiled in spite of myself. And then she did it again; she pouted and opened her mouth to speak.

"It's just sex, Jake."

I felt my face drop.

"Just sex?" I challenged her.

Her eyes widened suddenly as what she'd said registered with her. She raised both of her hands to her face and dropped her head onto them.

"Shit, I did it again." She raised her head and looked at me. "I swear to God, Jake, I didn't mean that how it sounded. I meant 'just sex' as in 'we've done it before and it's no big deal'."

"No big deal?" I was more incredulous than angry, but she seemed unable to stop digging herself deeper into this hole she'd carved out for herself. I let go of her and took a step backward. "Ok, Ness. I'm gonna take that bath now." I gestured over my shoulder with my thumb. "Just forget about it, alright?"

She was standing biting her lip and cringing. Finally she nodded, and I turned and headed for the doorway.

"Jake?" she called after me. I stopped and turned to face her. "It was just a bad choice of words. I swear, I didn't mean…uh…you know.... anything by what I said."

I nodded.

"Yeah, I know." I turned and walked out, adding under my breath. "I think."

**A/N *sigh* She just can't help herself can she?**

**Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**First of all, apologies for this chapter taking so long. I had several weeks of real life not giving me enough time to type a sentence out. **

**For anyone feeling that they need a recap, then hopefully this chapter will jog your memories. **

**I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep the updates a little closer together again now.**

**Thanks for checking back in with us, Jake flashes his abs to say thanks ;o)**

**Chapter 24 **

**Nahuel PoV**

I'd learnt of Nessie's impending return home from a conversation I'd overheard outside as I'd delivered Rosalie's car back to the Cullen house.

All I'd wanted to do was say my goodbyes. I'd given everything a lot of thought on the journey back from Emmett & Rosalie's house, thinking back beyond the events of the evening that had changed things so dramatically. I remembered how Renesmee had shown me her devotion to Jake and his to her. How was it my place to stand in the way of such love? I was aware that she was angry with him following the revelations about her mother, but if I was honest with myself, I knew that their relationship would find its way back on course again, their connection was too strong for it not to.

I knew that the Cullens would have heard the car being returned, so before they came out to look for me, I ran for the trees that surrounded their property to find somewhere nearby to await Renesmee's homecoming. I moved away from the house, staying parallel to the driveway so I'd know when they were approaching. I moved far enough away so that they wouldn't hear or smell me from the house. If Edward was there, then of course he'd in all likeliness here my thoughts, but he'd also then know what my intentions were.

I waited patiently on the ground, my back resting against an old tree stump. My stillness disguised the fact that my brain whirred inside my head. I recognised that the time I'd spent getting to know Renesmee at Rosalie's house had changed my feelings for her. From a pre-occupation with a being the same as myself that I didn't know, I'd found myself falling in love with the sweet, intelligent, but often naïve girl that I now waited to say goodbye to. My heart ached slightly in my chest, but I knew that it was the right thing to do for her and that was enough for me.

As I heard the sound of a car and a motorcycle approaching, I knew that it was time. My heart began to thud more loudly in my chest, but I was unsure whether it was at the prospect of seeing my Ayun, or the apprehension at what the werewolf might do when he saw me again. I knew for sure that being out in the open would mean that he wouldn't have to hold onto his self-control as tightly for fear of hurting Renesmee.

I raced for the house and planted myself firmly outside, determined to speak to her and say goodbye in person. I'd just caught a glimpse of her in the back of Emmett's SUV, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed the motorcycle swerve around it and head straight for me. Jake jumped off the bike as it slid to a halt on the ground in front of me. He ran to stand menacingly in front of me, but before he could even warn me off, Renesmee was out of the SUV and standing between us, her face close to mine.

"Nahuel, this isn't a good idea, you need to leave. Now!" she hissed at me. I turned to look at the girl I loved but had resolved to leave, fighting to keep my feelings buried deep down. I suspected I was going to have enough of a problem with Jacob, without him seeing sparks shooting between us. Even with the look of determination on her face from trying to persuade me to leave, she was still beautiful. I gritted my teeth, but suspected she could still see the adoration in my eyes.

"Please," she asked, her eyes pleading with me as much as her voice.

I prepared myself to tell her that I'd only come to say goodbye, and automatically reached out to take her hand. Her eyes flickered to my arm as it began to move, and flying back up to mine, they widened in warning and she shook her head, so slightly that I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"Jake? Do you think I could have a minute with Nahuel? Alone?" she asked, turning to look up at him. He looked down at her. I had no idea what she'd seen in his eyes, but she suddenly looked terrified. I felt the anger begin to build in me. How dare he frighten her?

He stepped away and pulled her with him by her arm.

"Nessie, what the hell are you doing? Don't you ever learn?" He sounded so angry with her, and I could see his body trembling. "I can't believe—"

"I'm sorry, Jake, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

I thought my heart might break for her as I saw her tears begin to fall. Promptly the sadness gave way to an overwhelming rush of anger.

"HEY! Let go of her!" I yelled. His head came up quickly, and he stared at me.

"With pleasure," he growled, letting go of Renesmee and pulling off his jacket and t-shirt. I panicked slightly as I realised that he was planning on phasing for this. I knew that I stood no chance against Jake the wolf, but if I could fight him man-on-man then I may not win, but I had a chance of not being killed too.

"Yeah, that's right, go wolf. You afraid of a fair fight, dog?" I goaded him, knowing that his pride could save me. He stopped, but then he launched himself at me without phasing.

The next few minutes flew by in a blur of blows. We were fairly evenly matched, but I was managing to maintain the upper hand. As soon as I managed to pin him down below me, I leaned and whispered in his ear.

"If you ever hurt her again, I'll be there waiting."

I pushed back slightly and watched as his eyes narrowed, then a split second later I was airborne without even knowing why. I crashed back into the ground and pushed myself up on my elbows, as the huge wolf with the red fur paced slowly toward me. My breath was still coming in laboured gasps thanks to the exertion of the fight, but now yet more adrenaline was coursing through my veins because of the very real danger that I was in.

I didn't take my eyes from the wolf, but was aware of some movement off to the side. Three women suddenly dashed across and stood in front of me, but it took me a moment to realise that it was my sisters. I simultaneously thanked their bravery and cursed their foolishness for putting themselves at risk to try and shield me. Through their legs I could see that Jake was still approaching us, their appearance hadn't deterred him in the least. I rose quickly to my feet, prepared to fight to the end, which I suspected would be quick when it came. As I watched, the wolf crouched into a position which looked as though he were about to pounce on us. I prepared to push through my sisters as soon as he moved, knowing that they would try to protect me again if I stepped forward now. My muscles were bunched tightly in preparation, when I was distracted momentarily by the sound of Nessie screaming. I moved my head fractionally, and spotted another large wolf, sand coloured this time, racing toward us. I knew it was over now, I could try to distract one wolf long enough to hopefully protect my sisters, but there was no way that any of us could escape from two of them.

I swallowed nervously, but stood firm nonetheless. As the second wolf drew closer, I braced myself for the impact, wondering which direction it would come from. Suddenly, the sound of snarling resonated all around. It took me a moment to realize that the impact hadn't happened and that the wolves were snarling at each other as they stood nose to nose in front of our little group. A moment later, Jacob had raised his head and was letting out a gut-wrenching howl. Silence followed and I remained on edge as I stood, confused at what was going on. The atmosphere around us was tense, and I knew that everyone was as puzzled as I was by the turn of events.

Jacob looked away from the other wolf, over to where Renesmee sat with Edward hovering next to her. She turned to him, and although he spoke quietly, we all heard what he said.

"Seth imprinted on one of Nahuel's sisters."

Of course, I knew exactly what this meant thanks to my knowledge of Renesmee and Jacob's relationship, but in front of me, my sisters looked at each other, confused by his words. So the wolf standing before us – who had just almost without doubt saved our lives – was Seth. I knew the name, Renesmee had spoken a little of him and his closeness to her family and to Jacob. No wonder Jake had sounded so tortured when he howled; this was certainly an unexpected complication. I wondered briefly which of my sisters it was that he'd imprinted on. Not that it mattered, regardless now it looked like my own family was tied to my Ayun's for the foreseeable future. And there I'd been, hoping for a more or less clean break when I left.

Jake turned and walked steadily away toward the trees. He looked at Renesmee and she stood, flashing me a disapproving look before hastening to his side, then they disappeared from view together. I sighed, aware of the pained expression on my face. If only she knew my real reasons for coming here; I hadn't wanted trouble at all, just the opposite. I was leaving to make things easier for her.

I moved forward to stand side by side with my sisters. As I did, the Seth wolf whimpered and turned. I noted that his eyes fell on Lican, and following his gaze, I saw her face suddenly colour slightly under the intensity of the look. He turned away again and set off after Jacob and Renesmee, his steps faltering at first, until an extra burst of effort seemed to push him onward.

I was aware of voices babbling all around me, but my brain wasn't registering the words. My sisters were talking quickly together, over and around me. I looked up and saw Edward and Carlisle making their way over and I broke away, moving to meet them.

"Nahuel," Carlisle greeted me, his tone giving nothing away about his feelings toward me after this latest incident.

"Carlisle, Edward." I nodded at each of them. "I'm so sorry, I only came to say goodbye. It's my intention to leave and let Renesmee be, I know what Jacob means to her and I'm aware that my continued presence here will only cause more problems for her."

Edward nodded stiffly.

"I see that you're speaking the truth, Nahuel, and I thank you for your consideration toward Renesmee. I'm sure that given time and space, she and Jacob will find their way back onto the path that they're destined to follow."

I understood the message hidden behind his words: There's no place for you in my daughter's life.

He read my recognition of the fact and nodded so slightly that a human would have missed the action.

"You have my assurance that I'll leave as soon as I can. It seems we've now got something else to resolve before I go though." I turned toward my sisters who were still huddled together. I wondered what would happen given this new turn of events. This time it wasn't a decision that was down to me; whatever happened with my sister and Seth, I was leaving for home today. I'd head home and make amends with Huilen; I'm sure she'd be interested to hear that she was right about the inevitability of the whole situation.

"Ladies," Carlisle called out to my sisters, bringing me back to the present. "Why don't we go into the house? I'm sure that you're all wondering what's going on right now."

I smiled gratefully at him, he knew more about imprinting than I did and I was sure that his explanation would be much better than whatever I could offer.

As we made our way across the lawn, a dark-haired semi-naked man appeared at the edge of the trees.

"Seth! Just in time. We're heading in for a discussion on imprinting, care to join us?" Carlisle smiled as Seth grinned, before looking down at the ground with some degree of embarrassment, the smile still plastered across his face before he cast a shy glance over at Lican again.

We gathered in the Cullen's spacious living room, my sisters and me on one large sofa, Carlisle, Edward, and Bella facing us on the other, and Seth sprawled in the large armchair off to the side between us all. I could hear the rest of the family moving around in the other rooms of the house, but they were staying tactfully away from where we were gathered.

Carlisle proceeded to explain all he knew about imprinting. It was obviously a subject that he found fascinating, and the scientist in him had driven him to do a great deal of research on the subject, especially when his own granddaughter had been imprinted on as an infant. Carlisle was a gifted speaker, and I listened intently as he explained all about the subject, comparing in my head the facts that he presented with the experience itself as Renesmee had shown me through her memories. My new understanding further deepened my resolve to leave her and Jacob alone to follow the path of their destiny.

Whilst Carlisle was speaking, I kept one eye on Seth and Lican, intrigued to see the process unfold in front of me. Seth now had his whole body angled toward her. He had one leg crossed over the other with his foot pointing in her direction, and his arm was resting on the arm of the chair with his open palm upward and oriented toward her.

He was bolder in his gaze now, seeming almost unable to tear his eyes away from her. I'd watched the change in my sister too as we'd sat here. To begin with, she'd appeared embarrassed by the intensity of Seth's obvious attraction to her, her cheeks reddening slightly, her eyes cast downward, flashing brief glances back at him from time to time, and her hair falling in front of her face so she could hide behind it. Now though, she sat straight, her gaze meeting his as fully as his did hers. She was completely focused on him, her cheeks still pink, but with a different kind of flush now, and her lips were parted slightly.

I exchanged an incredulous look with Malen and Yaima, before they began giggling at our sister. As Carlisle completed his explanation, Seth got to his feet.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked Lican, extending a hand in her direction. She nodded, never moving her eyes from his face as she stood, stepped toward him, and reached her hand out, allowing him to wrap his considerably larger one around it. We watched them leave the room. I looked around and saw that everyone was smiling but me and Edward, who had read my thoughts.

"I understand your concern, Nahuel," he told me. Carlisle looked at him questioningly. "Nahuel is worried about how this will impact on his plans to leave," he informed him. Carlisle looked at me, his face assuming a kindly, reassuring expression.

"My family and I will be more than willing to help and support your sisters in any way we can if they choose to stay when you leave. We're still indebted to you for your help with the Volturi, and our bond with the wolves is a strong one. They will be well looked after here."

"But Jacob…" I began, voicing one of my greatest concerns.

"Do you think Jake would allow anyone to hurt Nessie or any of us?" Bella asked me.

"And so the same is true now for Seth and your family. You really don't need to worry about your sisters, I doubt there could be any place on earth where they'd be safer," Edward informed me.

I knew without a doubt that he was speaking the truth. I nodded, eager to be away from here now before I drove myself crazy with how things had turned out between me and Renesmee.

"Very well." I offered a tight smile, and then cast an anxious look through the window. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really feel that I should be going, I have a few things to attend to at the apartment before I leave." I stood, turning back to Malen and Yaima. "I'm going to head back, I'll see you both and Lican before I leave."

"We'll be there as soon as Lican returns," Malen reassured me. I nodded and made to leave the room, suddenly remembering my manners as I reached the doorway.

"Thank you, for everything. I'll be in touch as soon as I arrive home."

"You're welcome, Nahuel. We'll look forward to hearing from you. And please, don't worry about things here," Carlisle told me.

I smiled and offered a brief wave, before I left the room.

********

Back at the apartment I was restless. I'd packed all of my things away and left a list for my sisters of things they might need to know. Most of the details for our stay here had been organised jointly by Malen and me, so I knew that she'd be more than able to cope without me.

A sudden sound made me spin around toward the door. It flew open and my sisters stumbled through, giggling. They stopped short when they saw me, the smiles falling from their faces. Lican stepped forward immediately. She stood in front of me, took my hands in hers, and looked into my eyes.

"Nahuel, I'm sorry, I—" I could see in her face how heartfelt the apology was.

"Sssh, Lican. It's fine." I smiled at her. "Are you staying?"

She bit her lip and nodded, looking at me nervously. I continued to smile and surprised myself that I actually meant it. Despite this, I didn't want to hear any details and suspected that I might if I prolonged this further.

"Be happy," I told her and bent to kiss her head. I released her hands and embraced my other two sisters in turn. "I'll be in touch soon. If you need anything at all before then, get in touch with the Cullens."

I picked up my duffle bag, slung it over my shoulder, and was out of the door before anybody had a chance to say anything more to me. I didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified to be alone with my thoughts, as I started out on the return journey south.

**A/N Has Nahuel done the right thing do you think? Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello! I need to apologise to all of you who may have thought that I'd abandoned this story. I can promise you that I always intended to finish it, but a few other ideas were fighting to get out of my head!**

**This will be the final chapter of NS&SS, the next update will be an Epilogue. I hope you find it last-chapter-worthy.**

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer**

**Thanks to Ari & Mrs. P for beta'ing this for me.**

**WARNING: LEMONS AHEAD ;o)**

**Chapter 25**

**Jake PoV**

A few weeks had passed, and things had slowly gotten a little better. I drew the line at saying they were good, but I felt confident that they would be that way again. Whatever had caused Ness to develop foot-in-mouth syndrome had slowly faded, almost as though _his _presence had compounded it.

I could vividly recall the exact moment that I realized that _my _Nessie was still there. She was below the beautiful exterior that had taunted me with its familiarity the whole time.

I was well aware that she was tip-toeing around me. Each time she opened her mouth, she'd spend a moment biting her lower lip and thinking hard before she spoke to me. I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I hated that her spontaneity had vanished, because it meant that her spark had dimmed; yet on the other hand I loved her more than ever for trying so hard; it went a small way to restoring my faith in her; my faith in us.

We'd been back home together for a few days. Nessie was in the kitchen, baking a shit-load of delicious smelling cookies and cupcakes for us to take over to Jared and Kim's place later. I had a few errands to run and had been searching for my wallet for the past ten minutes with no success. As I paused and tried to remember when I'd last seen it, an image suddenly flashed into my head of it sitting on the desk at the garage the previous day. I huffed and let my arms fall limply at my sides.

I wandered into the kitchen and smiled at the sight of her. She'd pulled her bronze curls untidily up on top of her head and out of the way, and had flour on her face as she busied herself spooning cookie dough from a bowl onto a baking tray.

"Ness, can I borrow your credit card?" I asked her. "I left my wallet at the garage."

"Uh-huh," she replied, raising her arm to sweep a loose curl off her forehead with the back of her wrist without looking up. "My wallet's in my blue purse in the bedroom."

"Thanks." I pushed away from the door frame and made for the bedroom.

As I entered the room I scanned it for the blue purse, spotting it quickly on the chair in the corner. Picking it up, I unzipped it and peered inside. Holy shit, how did she ever find anything in this thing? I shook my head and took a step toward the bed, tipping the purse upside down and shaking its contents out onto the comforter. A paper snowstorm of receipts, lists and notes fluttered out, followed by the soft thuds of a lip gloss and a compact, and then two heavier thuds. The first was her wallet, but the second wasn't something I recognized. I set the purse down next to the pile of junk that had come out of it and then picked up the brightly colored woven pouch.

Risking a furtive glance at the door, I poked my finger into the neck of the pouch and opened it. I gently shook the heavy contents out into my hand and frowned at the unfamiliar object. It was some kind of silver jewelry, but not like anything I'd ever seen before. Although I was about as far from being a regular guy as it was possible to get in most ways, in some ways I was pretty typical. I wasn't the most observant when it came to things like Nessie's jewelry, but I knew I'd never seen this before. There was no doubt that this would have stuck in my mind; it was obviously old. The other nagging question was; why was it in her purse and not with the rest of her jewelry in the box on the dresser?

"Did you find it, Jake?" she called from the kitchen. There was the sound of footsteps before she appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. "I think it's..."

She stopped. Her eyes rested on the object in my hand before flickering up to my face. I tilted my hand so the item was in her full view, before raising my eyebrows questioningly at her. Anger flashed across her face. She took a step toward me and snatched it and the pouch from my hand. She turned and stormed out of the room.

"Wait, Ness!" I called out. "Where are you going?"

"To Seth's," she said without stopping. "Lican can return this." She waved the hand that held the jewellery and pouch.

"Wait!" I shouted, as I jogged to catch up with her. "We'll go together." I couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corners of my mouth. Nessie pulled the front door open, and then stopped with her fingers wrapped around the handle as my words registered. She turned, her mouth dropping slightly as she noticed my grin.

"What the hell are you looking so pleased about, Black?"

I barrelled into her, my grin growing even wider as I pushed her against the door.

"You're back," I stated simply, my face searching hers excitedly. She frowned at me.

"I was just going out," she said, unable to grasp what I'd meant by the words.

"No, I didn't mean that," I told her, cradling her face in my hand and rubbing my thumb gently down her cheek. "That's the first time I've seen a glimpse of the Ness I know in a while. You have no idea how happy I am right now." I bent down and kissed her, hard. Surprise gave way to eagerness, and it only took a heartbeat for her to wrap her arms around my neck and press herself against me, as she opened her mouth and let her tongue entwine with mine.

I broke away, breathless. "Do you have to go right now?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied as she ran a hand over my chest, the other closed tightly around the offending object. "This thing's almost burning a hole in my hand; I really don't want any reminders hanging around."

I smiled again and planted a kiss on her lips.

"C'mon baby, we'll take the bike." I grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door, letting it slam shut behind us. A glance at her glowing face showed me that she was as pleased with the progress our relationship had made in the past few minutes as I was.

My stomach flipped as we reached Seth's place. I couldn't say that I was particularly looking forward to this; we hadn't spoken since the day he'd imprinted on Nahuel's sister. Of course, I only had myself to blame. He'd tried calling several times, but as soon as I'd seen his name flashing up on the screen, I'd hit the 'reject' button, feeling unable to deal with having to deal with him quite so soon. Feeling more secure with Nessie made a huge difference though. There was really no need for me to act weird with him. I had a feeling that he'd be torturing himself over the way things had turned out between us; I owed him an apology. Hopefully he'd accept it. I hated the thought of losing Seth in this mess.

The door opened, and Seth's eyes widened in surprise when he saw us standing there on his doorstep, my arm draped across Nessie's shoulders.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted us excitedly. I should have known not to expect prolonged awkwardness from him. He may have grown physically, but his personality remained that of a permanently excited puppy.

He took Nessie's hand and pulled her toward him. I let my arm fall as she stepped forward and was wrapped in his large arms. I remembered back to when he was almost a full head shorter than me and gangly as hell; all limbs, like Bambi. He'd grown and filled out quickly though, and there wasn't much between us now. None of the other guys had quite made my excessive height, but Seth came closest.

He released Ness and guided her through the doorway. As I stepped forward to follow her, Seth grabbed me and pulled me into a tight bear-hug, complete with back-thumping. I returned the gesture, disappointed with myself that I'd shut him out these past few days.

"Thanks for calling in, man," he said in a low voice. I knew that what he actually meant to say was 'thanks for forgiving me'. I guessed he knew too well that I'd give him shit for saying that. The past events had been beyond his control so there was actually nothing to forgive, despite how mad I'd been at the time.

"Hey, no problem," I replied, an answer that fitted both the words he'd spoken and what I thought were his true meaning. We released one another and I followed him through the house to the kitchen where Nessie had already made herself at home on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. We'd spent a lot of time here, and it had been one of the places that we felt completely relaxed. I wondered if that would change now that Seth had Lican in his life. She would be spending a lot of her time here with him, no doubt. I couldn't begin to guess at how spending time with Lican was going to impact on Nessie…and in turn, our relationship.

"Is Lican here?" Nessie asked Seth as he reached into the refrigerator and pulled out three cans of soda, handing us one each.

"No," he replied as he cracked his can open. "She's gone shopping with her sisters. She's nervous about meeting everyone at Jared's tonight; she wanted something new to wear."

"I'm so glad I never had to go through that," Nessie told us both, her eyes sparkling. "I can't even begin to imagine how intimidating you huge freaks must all look together, to someone who's not used to you." She faked a horrified expression.

"And so speaks the vampires' daughter!" I said, ruffling her hair as I laughed.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, swatting me away playfully. "It just took me ten minutes with a motorcycle helmet on my head to get my hair looking this good, do NOT ruin it!"

"Sorry," I told her sarcastically, looking over at Seth, who was smiling as he watched our banter.

"Accepted," said Nessie, before lowering her voice and looking away. "Freak."

"Right, Cullen. You just earned yourself some good old-fashioned tickle torture!"

I lunged at her, quickly gathering her in my arms and lowering her to the ground before she could react. I straddled her, pinning her down and tickling her. She was squealing hysterically as she laughed and squirmed.

"Ok! Ok!" she giggled breathlessly. "You're not a freak!"

I stopped and looked at her. She was lying down, her curls fanned out around her head on the ground, and her cheeks pink from the exhilaration. Her chest was moving up and down quickly as she tried to get her breath back. I stared deep into her eyes and loved the playfulness that lay there still. I'd missed seeing that recently. I bent low over her, placing a hand either side of her head, supporting myself as my own face hovered above hers. As I closed the space between our lips, she tried to goad me again.

"Much," she said, and giggled, trying to push me back.

The sound of Seth clearing his throat behind us, reminded me where we were.

"So, did you guys come to see _me_, or just to make out on my kitchen floor?"

I jumped to my feet and extended a hand to Ness, pulling her up when she accepted. I smiled at her, waited for her to return it, and then I turned to Seth.

"Actually Nessie has a favour to ask," I told him.

"Well, now that's a relief because I thought for a moment there that I was going to have to douse you both in cold water." He was laughing at us, but I was too happy to care.

Ness pulled the pouch from the pocket of her jeans and placed it on the counter, sliding it over toward Seth.

"Would you give this to Lican please?" she said to him. "I'd like her to give it back to Nahuel; I don't think I should keep it after all."

Seth picked up the pouch, and turned it over, weighing it in his hand, studying the woven pattern as he did so.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"That's a good question," I said, turning to Nessie as I suddenly realized that we'd never quite got to that part of the discussion. She sighed heavily.

"It's a piece of traditional Mapuche silver jewellery," she told us. "It belonged to his mother."

"And he gave it to you to keep?" Seth asked, a slightly incredulous tone to his voice. Nessie nodded in answer. "Woah, he must really have—"

I saw the look that Ness shot in Seth's direction that had cut him off so sharply. I was thinking exactly the same thing as he obviously was; Nahuel's feelings for Nessie had been strong. I waited for the feeling to hit as I tossed the words about in my head, but there was nothing. No 'punch in the guts' feeling, no sick feeling, no anger. I raised my eyes and found Nessie's gaze on mine. She looked worried, and given how things had been between us, I could understand why. I smiled at her reassuringly and was pleased to see her return it, a definite edge of relief to it.

_Nice work, Black, _I told myself. _No over-reaction. It's about time._

I smiled wider as I reached over and took Nessie's hand.

"C'mon, Ness, let's go." I turned to Seth. "We'll see you later, man," I told him as I began to tow Nessie toward the door.

"Hey!" Seth called after us. I turned. "About tonight, at Jared's…" He hesitated.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You're cool with Lican, right?"

"You don't need to worry Seth, I'll be the perfect gentleman." I heard a snort and glanced down at Ness, who was looking at me with an amused expression on her face. She turned to Seth and smiled.

"Thanks, man. I know this isn't going to be easy for you. I want you to know that I realize that." I nodded and smiled, then put my arm around Nessie's shoulders and guided her towards the door.

As I drove my bike up towards the house, my heart was hammering in my chest. I steered it into my garage, cutting the engine and jerking it onto its kickstand when I felt Ness slide off. I pulled my helmet off and set it down on the bench next to me, and then climbed off the bike. As I turned, Nessie was just removing her helmet. I took it from her and set it down next to mine.

"Ok, I think I've been _very _patient so far today," I told her, gently catching hold of her wrist as I sat down sideways on the bike. "I think it's your turn to show _me _how patient _you_ can be." Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out my meaning. Without another word, I yanked her toward me, bringing her in close between my legs. I reached one hand up to the back of her head and encouraged her to bring her face closer to mine. She'd clearly recognized my intentions now, and closed in on my mouth with her own, her lips parting instantly, her sweet, wet tongue searching for mine. I indulged her for a moment, loving the feel of her like this again. This wasn't a part of my plan though.

"Uh-uh," I told her, pushing her away slightly, and smirking slightly as I did so. "Now I think you can be more patient than that."

"Jake, please," she whispered, looking up at me from under her long eyelashes.

"That's more like it, but I'm going to hear you say those words many more times before I give you what you want." I leaned in close to her as though I was going to kiss her again, and then drew away as she leaned in.

"Jacob!" she wailed in frustration. I laughed a little at her use of my full name.

"Patience," I reminded her. "I just want to make sure that you mean it when you say that you want me. And you will say it, Ness. I promise."

There was a sparkle in her eye now, and I knew that she finally understood that I was playing with her. Her expression told me that she was just as determined to play along.

"Ok," she said in a tone that challenged me. "Prove it."

My heart rate increased and she raised her eyebrows, a smile playing on her lips as she registered the sound.

"Arms up," I told her. She did as I said. "You won't be needing this." I tugged her sweater off over her head and flung it away. "Or this." Her t-shirt came off too with another pull upwards. She lowered her arms back to her sides and stood in front of me, her face beginning to flush. I looked down at the lacy black bra she wore. I ran one finger across her breast, just inside the edge of the fabric. "You can keep this on. For now."

I hooked one finger inside one of the belt loops on her jeans and yanked her forward. I pulled the button undone and slid the zipper down. I bent my head and ran my nose lightly up her face, inhaling her delicious scent deeply. "Lose these," I told her, and then turned away and walked over to the workbench. I picked up one of my well used oily rags and turned back around. I gasped when I saw Nessie standing where I'd left her, wearing her bra and matching panties. She wore a playfully defiant look on her face that made my breath hitch.

I crossed back over to her. "Arms up again," I instructed. She did as she was told and I began to tie her wrists together with the rag.

"You know," she began, pouting slightly. "It seems more than a little unfair that I'm here wearing so little, and yet you're fully clothed. Take your shirt off for me?" I looked away from the knot I was tying, and down at her face. "Pretty please?" she whispered, eye-fucking me deliciously as she lowered her bound hands in front of her body.

I pulled my t-shirt off over my head.

"Better?" I asked her.

"Much," she replied, looking at my body as though it were the first time she'd seen its hard muscular contours.

I pushed her so she had to walk backward a few steps, until I had her where I wanted her. I pulled her wrists up again, and hooked the fabric over the large engine hoist hook that hung down on a chain from the ceiling. She gasped and I knew that she hadn't expected this at all.

"Ok, are you ready to start trying to convince me just how much you want me?" I asked her, wondering now why I'd started this damn game, because truly, all I wanted to do was to fuck her right now.

"I do want you, Jake," she told me. I laughed.

"Oh, I think you can do better than that, Ness. I'm not sure I believe you. Perhaps I should try a little persuasion?"

I knelt down in front of her and kissed her breasts through her bra, gently grazing my teeth across each of her nipples in turn. She groaned quietly and arched her back. I felt my hardness straining against my jeans as she responded to me. I ran my tongue slowly down the front of her body, as I held onto her hips. As I reached her navel, I pulled back, and breathed more heavily as I noticed the black smears of oil on her creamy skin. I lifted my hands away from her body slightly and saw that it had come from me. I'd obviously touched something oily without realizing. Not that I cared, seeing her there, covered in oil, was possibly the hottest thing I'd ever seen in my life. She opened her eyes and looked down at me, probably wondering why I'd stopped. She took in the oil on her and then looked at me.

_Fuck. It had the same effect on her as it had on me. I could see the lust burning in her eyes._

"Please?" she asked throatily, pushing herself towards me. I lifted one of her legs and rested her thigh on my shoulder, burying my face between her legs and inhaling deeply before pulling back a little. She moaned and pushed herself closer to me again. I leaned in and ran my nose up and down the damp lace, then did the same with my tongue, pausing at where I guessed her clit to be, to press on a little harder. She was letting out soft groans with each and every touch now.

I lifted her leg from my shoulder and placed it down again.

"No, don't stop, please!" she begged. I smirked.

"I have no intention of it," I told her, as I took hold of her panties and slid them down her legs. She stepped out of them and I hoisted her leg back up again and continued without the fabric barrier.

_My God, she was so wet and tasted fantastic._

We moaned together now, and as I fucked her with my tongue, swirling in and out, up and down and around her clit, I hoped that it wouldn't take her too long to start _really _begging, because there was a danger here that she could easily turn the tables on me, I was so turned on. I pulled away and saw that she had oil more or less all over her body now. I gasped again and she lifted her other leg onto my other shoulder to try and force my mouth back onto her centre. I looked up to see her dangling by her wrists, and gave silent thanks for her supernatural strength, because this was fucking phenomenal. It didn't take long before she reached a noisy climax, squeezing her thighs together tightly around my head as she came, hard. I lifted her legs gently off me one at a time and placed them on the floor.

"Fuck, Jake. That was….that was…." she gasped. "No words…" I laughed.

"Well, I'm only just getting started. I'm not sure you want me enough yet."

"Oh, I do, I do! Please. I want you inside me. That was incredible but…I need you. All of you."

"Hmm, I'm not sure," I told her as I stood. In a flash she'd lifted her legs and swung forward slightly to wrap them tightly around my waist. I hissed as I felt her warm, wet centre pressing against my stomach. I wrapped an arm around and placed it under her ass to support her. I leaned in and kissed her aggressively. She returned the kiss with equal aggression, and kept pushing herself against my stomach, causing me to moan as she tried desperately to get some friction against her most sensitive parts. With my free hand, I fumbled with my jeans and managed to get them undone and let them drop down my legs, pushing my boxers down after them.

I lowered Nessie so that my achingly hard cock rubbed between her lips and against her opening a couple of times, coating it in her wetness. We both groaned loudly at the contact, and then louder again a moment later when I plunged into her. I held her ass in both hands now as I thrust in and out of her, her legs wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Jake," she gasped.

"Uh-huh?" I grunted, not slowing my pace, despite knowing that I couldn't keep going much longer; it just felt too good. _She _just felt too good.

"My arms? Can I take them down?" she gasped.

"Yeah…I think I….believe you now…" I told her breathlessly.

I looked up as she jerked her wrists apart, and tore the fabric that bound her wrists together.

_Damn, that was hot._

She brought her hands down and wrapped her arms around my neck, her hands grabbing my hair as she kissed me hungrily. Suddenly she pulled away, unwrapping her legs from around me and slid to the floor. I gasped at the loss of her surrounding me.

"Wha…what's going on?" I asked her, watching as she backed away from me, undoing the clasp on her bra, and discarding it as she looked back at me over her shoulder. She walked over to my beloved motorcycle and leaned over it, spreading her legs slightly so that I had a perfect view of her wet, pink sex. "Jesus…" I gasped, kicking off my boots and remaining clothes, then following her over. "So, you think you're running this show now, do you?" I asked her, throatily as I ran my hands all over her body, paying extra attention to her breasts. As much as I wanted to just bury myself inside her, I forced myself to tease her a little longer.

I stood up a little straighter and slapped her ass, just hard enough to make her gasp. I knelt down behind her and placed my hands on the bottom of her ass, spreading her apart slightly before I began teasing her with my tongue again. It wasn't long before she was begging for me once more. I stood, grasped her hips and pushed myself inside her, making both of us gasp once again. I couldn't believe I was fucking the woman of my dreams on the machine of my dreams. Dammit, even the thought of it was enough to make me cum.

And with that thought, we both did.

Nessie cried out as she clamped around me, causing me to topple over the edge and spill myself inside her, thrusting and crying out until we were both spent and I half collapsed on her back. Forcing myself upright, I scooped her up in my arms, leaving our clothes where they were. I carried her into our home and to our bed, knowing that she'd be cursing me later for the oil stains all over the sheets.

I didn't care. Fuck it, we could just ask for new bedding for wedding presents. Although I hadn't told her yet, I was determined to have the woman I loved as Mrs Jacob Black before the start of another year came around.

**A/N Please take time to review, I love reading your thoughts. **

**Just the Epilogue to come now people, **

**I wonder what that'll have in store for us?**


End file.
